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'  P 'E' BURROUGHS   - 


OOT  4  1917 


BV  1520  .B8  1917 
Burroughs,  Prince  Emanuel, 

1871-1948. 
The  present-day  Sunday 

school 


The  Present-Day 
Sunday  SchooVv^"'''  '''^ 

^  i       OCT   4   1917 

Studies  in  Its  Organization    \^f/  ,  ^ 

and  Management  ^'^^^l^ffM  Vi^ 


By 

P.  E.  BURROUGHS,  D.D. 

Author  of**Win7nng  to  Christ — A  Study  in 

Evangelism t**  *'Old  Testament  Studies 

—A  Class  Book;'  etc. 


New  York  Chicago  Toronto 

Fleming     H.     Revell     Company 

London  and  Edinburgh 


Copyright,  19 1 7,  by 
FLEMING  H.  REVELL  COMPANY 


New  York:  158  Fifth  Avenue 
Chicago:  17  North  Wabash  Ave. 
Toronto:  25  Richmond  Street,  W. 
London :  2 1  Paternoster  Square 
Edinburgh:      100    Princes    Street 


Introductory. 

THERE  IS  no  more  spiritually  hopeful  phase 
of  the  work  of  the  Kingdom  during  the 
last  few  years  than  the  noteworthy  advance 
in  interest  and  efficiency  in  the  Sunday  School. 

For  several  generations  the  Sunday  School 
has  suffered  because  of  inefficient  organization, 
inefficient  grading,  and  inefficient  teaching.  Par- 
ticularly has  it  suffered  from  lack  of  intelligent 
and  skillful  pastoral  leadership. 

The  Sunday  School  Board  has  done  much  to 
advance  the  movement  toward  greater  efficiency 
in  teaching,  and  the  Southern  Baptist  Theological 
Seminary  which  inaugurated  a  lectureship  on  the 
Sunday  School,  and  afterwards  a  chair  in  the 
Seminary  curriculum,  has  done  much  toward  the 
training  and  equipment  of  pastors.  The  ideal  of 
the  Sunday  School  and  Sunday  School  efficiency 
has  undergone  a  great  transformation.  There 
has  arisen  a  demand  in  every  quarter  for  better 
methods  and  more  effective  work.  The  Sunday 
School  without  proper  organization  and  without 
high  teaching  ideals  is  coming  rapidly  into  dis- 
repute, and  pastors  who  take  little  interest  in  the 
Sunday  School  are  failing  to  achieve  the  highest 
results  possible  to  them. 


Introductory. 

The  volume  before  us,  written  by  Rev. 
Prince  E.  Burroughs,  enters  the  field  of  Sunday 
School  activity  at  a  most  opportune  time.  Dr. 
Burroughs  has  studied  the  Sunday  School  at  close 
range.  He  has  had  a  thorough  pastoral  ex- 
perience in  teaching,  not  only  in  the  Sunday 
School  but  in  teaching  the  leaders.  He  has  a 
fine  sense  of  the  value  and  importance  of  organ- 
ization and  system.  He  has  presented  to  us  in 
the  pages  which  follow  an  admirable  study  of 
the  whole  range  of  Sunday  School  organization. 

The  book  ought  to  be  in  the  hands  of  every 
pastor  and  every  superintendent  and  every 
Sunday  School  teacher  and  worker.  Many  have 
had  a  partial  view  of  the  requirements  in  Sun- 
day School  work.  An  increasing  number  have 
mastered  the  problem,  and  a  much  greater 
number  have  had  a  longing  for  efficiency  which 
they  have  been  unable  to  acquire.  The  discussion 
given  by  Dr.  Burroughs  will  go  a  long  way 
toward  supplying  them  with  the  treatment  of 
the  various  phases  of  the  Sunday  School  which 
they  need.  I  rejoice  that  he  has  written  the  book 
and  believe  it  will  have  a  career  of  great  use- 
fulness. 

Louisville,  Ky.  E.  Y.  Mullins. 


Preface 


"^HE  chapters  in  this  book  have  grown  out 
of  a  series  of  lectures  and  studies  originally 
prepared  for  the  students  in  Sunday-School 
Pedagogy  in  the  Southern  Baptist  Theological  Semi- 
nary, Louisville,  Kentucky.  The  chair  of  Sunday- 
School  Pedagogy  was  temporarily  vacant  during  the 
session,  19 14- 191 5,  and  the  writer  was  asked  by  the 
president  and  faculty  to  lead  the  class  in  one  quar- 
ter's work,  the  quarter  in  which  Sunday-school  or- 
ganization with  its  related  subjects  was  to  be  studied. , 
Whatever  contribution  the  leader  may  have  made  to 
that  group  of  elect  students  numbering  more  than 
one  hundred  men  and  women,  they  made  to  him  far 
larger  contribution  and  brought  him  under  an  en- 
during sense  of  obligation.  Growing  out  of  that 
study  and  experience,  the  whole  question  of  modern 
graded  organization  came  to  possess  an  added  in- 
terest. Realizing  that  right  principles  of  manage- 
ment and  proper  methods  and  plans  of  organization 
constitute  the  basis  of  success  in  the  high  spiritual 
mission  of  the  Sunday  school,  the  writer  has  pursued 
further  studies  in  these  lines,  by  practical  observation 
of  successful  Sunday-school  work  in  various  parts 
of  the  country,  by  conferences  with  workers  in  many 
states,  and  by  the  reading  of  some  of  the  valuable 
literature  issuing  from  the  press  in  ever-increasing 
abundance.     This  book  is  the  result. 

The   tendency   of  the   day   and   the   demand    of 
Sunday-school  workers  is  in  the  direction  of  special- 


Preface 

ized  treatment.  We  ask  for  books  which  treat  the 
special  segment  of  the  Sunday  school  in  which  we 
are  working,  which  deal  with  the  immediate  problems 
which  we  face  in  our  special  sphere.  The  writer  hails 
this  tendency  with  joy  and  recognizes  in  it  one  of 
the  marks  of  the  new  educational  day.  While  we 
thus  emphasize  and  develop  special  tasks  and  separate 
departments,  we  yet  do  well  to  maintain  with  care 
the  integrity  and  unity  of  the  school  as  a  whole.  The 
writer  beheves  that  there  will  always  be  a  place  and 
a  mission  for  the  treatment  which  gives  such  survey 
of  the  general  organization  of  the  school  as  will  enable 
every  worker  to  see  the  work  of  other  workers  in  right 
perspective,  and  as  will  make  possible  an  adequate 
and  intelligent  conception  of  the  problems  and  work 
of  the  school  in  the  wide  sweep  of  its  service. 

The  books  listed  as  "  References  "  at  the  close  of 
various  chapters  are  selected  from  among  many  as 
being  of  special  value  to  the  student  or  the  general 
reader.  The  books  cited  are,  of  course,  written  by 
authors  who  occupy  various  view-points  and  the  books 
are  mentioned  only  because  they  treat  helpfully  the 
particular  subject  under  discussion. 

It  is  a  pleasure  to  acknowledge  indebtedness  to 
books  and  workers,  especially  my  own  associates, 
even  beyond  such  recognition  as  it  has  seemed 
possible  to  make  in  these  pages.  Special  mention 
must  be  made  of  the  helpful  service  of  Dr.  B.  W. 
Spilman  and  Professors  L.  P.  Leavell  and  J.  M. 
Price,  who  read  the  book  in  manuscript  and  made 
valued  suggestions.  P.  E.  B. 

Nashvilhy  Tenn, 


Contents 

Introductory  Studies 

I.  A  Proper  Rating  for  the  Sunday 

School ii 

IL  A  Proper  Designation     .        .        .21 

Studies  in  Grading 

III.  Grading  the  Sunday  School  .    .   28 

IV.  Problems  of  Grading   .    ,    *   38 

V.  Some  Advantages  in  Grading    .   47 


Studies  in  the  Departments 

VI.  The  Cradle  Roll    . 

VII.  The  Beginners'  Department  . 

VIII.  The  Primary  Department 

IX.  The  Junior  Department  . 

X.  The  Intermediate  Department 

XI.  The  Senior  Department 

XII.  The  Adult  Department  . 
XIIL  The  Home  Department  . 


*   55 

e      64 

•   73 

.   84 

.  100 

•  113 

.  129 

.  139 

Contents 


Studies  in  Administration 

XIV.  The  Pastor  in  the  Sunday  School     145 

XV.  Officers  of  the  Sunday  School  .     154 

XVI.  The  Training  of  Teachers      .  .165 

XVII.  The  Organized  Bible  Class     .  .174 

XVIII.  Holding  and  Recruiting  Pupils  .     185 

XIX.  Sunday-School  Architecture  .     195 

XX.  Missions  in  the  Sunday  School  .     207 


Introductory  Studies 


A  PROPER  RATING  FOR  THE  SUNDAY 

SCHOOL 

A  FIRST  problem  which  we  face  in  dealing 
with  the  Sunday  school  concerns  its  place 
in  the  general  educational  program.  How 
shall  we  estimate  the  Sunday  school  ?  What  rating 
shall  we  give  it  ?  How  does  it  rank  among  the  forces 
and  agencies  which  make  for  moral  and  religious 
progress  ?  The  answer  which  we  give  to  these  ques- 
tions will  have  its  bearing  upon  all  questions  and 
policies  in  Sunday-school  work. 

When,  a  while  ago,  one  of  the  great  modern  Sun- 
day-school publishing  houses  was  being  organized 
and  launched  the  question  arose  as  to  what  should 
be  the  name  of  the  new  institution.  When  it  was 
suggested  that  the  nam.e  should  be  '•  Sunday-School 
Board,"  there  was  an  arching  of  brows  and  a  signif- 
icant shrugging  of  shoulders.  It  was  plainly  asserted 
that  the  Sunday  school  had  not  attained  such  stand« 
ing  in  the  educational  world  or  such  dignity  among 
kindred  institutions  as  to  justify  the  proposed  project 
in  bearing  its  name.  Would  it  not  minify  the  new 
movement  to  have  it  bear  the  name  of  the  Sunday 
school  ?     The  wise  men  who  had  the  movement  in 

II 


12  The  Present- Day  Sunday  School 

hand  promptly  replied  that  if  such  was  the  attitude 
of  the  public  mind  towards  the  Sunday  school,  if 
such  was  the  popular  estimate  of  the  Sunday  school, 
there  was  need  of  a  reckoning  and  a  new  appraise- 
ment. Hence  they  named  the  new  institution  the 
Sunday-School  Board.  This  Board  has  become  an 
institution  of  commanding  influence  and  power  and 
as  forecast  in  the  thought  of  its  founders  has  made 
substantial  contribution  to  the  new  estimate  of  the 
Sunday  school  which  more  and  more  marks  the 
thinking  of  the  present  time. 

When  the  first  chair  of  Sunday-School  Pedagogy 
established  in  a  theological  seminary  in  this  country 
was  in  contemplation,  the  question  naturally  arose  as 
to  its  proper  designation.  It  was  gravely  suggested 
that  to  use  the  phrase  Sunday  school  in  connection 
with  the  proposed  chair  would  put  it  at  some  disad- 
vantage in  contrast  with  the  chair  of  Theology  or 
Homiletics  or  other  chairs.  The  far-seeing  men  who 
were  arranging  for  the  new  chair  declared  that  if  such 
was  the  estimate  of  the  young  preachers  coming  up 
from  our  churches  and  such  their  attitude  towards 
the  Sunday  school,  something  was  seriously  wrong. 
And  so  the  chair  was  styled  the  chair  of  Sunday- 
School  Pedagogy. 

These  incidents  fairly  open  to  us  the  question 
which  we  face,  what  rating  shall  we  give  to  the 
Sunday  school?  Is  it  essentially  a  big  institution  or 
a  little  one?  We  can  only  indicate  in  outline  the 
answer  to  these  questions. 

We  may  consider  first  the  light  shed  on  this  ques- 


Introductory  Studies  13 

tion  by  the  membership  enrolled  in  the  Sunday 
school.  Certainly  we  would  lay  no  undue  emphasis 
upon  numbers  here  or  elsewhere.  But  any  school 
may  feel  pride  in  its  enrollment  and  the  number  of 
adherents  upon  whose  support  any  institution  may 
reckon  is  a  factor  in  its  proper  appraising. 

According  to  the  best  available  information,  fifteen 
millions  of  people,  in  round  numbers,  are  enrolled  in 
Sunday-school  membership  in  this  country.  Accus- 
tomed as  we  are  coming  to  be  to  immense  numbers, 
these  figures  are  difficult  to  grasp  in  their  real  signifi- 
cance. Fifteen  millions  in  the  Sunday-school  army 
of  this  country  alone  !  And  under  normal  conditions 
upwards  of  twelve  millions  are  enrolled  in  the  Sunday 
school  in  other  parts  of  the  earth.  A  grand  total  of 
28,701,489  in  the  Sunday  schools  of  the  world!  The 
Sunday-school  army  is  larger  than  the  armies  of  the 
Entente  Allies  or  of  the  Central  Powers  in  the  great 
European  war.  Three  hundred  thousand  Sunday 
schools,  with  more  than  two  and  a  half  millions  of 
teachers ! 

And  this  immense  enrollment  consists  not  simply 
of  children.  It  is  estimated  that  within  ten  years  the 
organized  adult  class  movement  has  brought  a  million 
and  a  half  men  and  women  into  the  Sunday  school. 
With  the  modern  attitude  towards  the  child  and  the 
modern  view  of  the  value  of  the  child,  we  will  hardly 
reckon  the  presence  of  the  adult  in  the  Sunday 
school  as  of  more  consequence  than  the  presence  of 
the  child.  But  it  does  add  something  to  the  dignity 
of  the  Sunday  school  to  recall  that  unnumbered  thou- 


14         The  Present-Day  Sunday  School 

sands  of  men  and  women  in  all  walks  of  life  think  it 
worth  while  to  attend  this  school. 

It  has  been  asserted  with  some  confidence  that 
more  people  attend  this  teaching  service  of  the 
church  than  attend  the  preaching  service.  It  would 
of  course  be  impossible  to  verify  such  statement.  In 
some  quarters  it  would  be  instantly  accepted  as  true, 
while  in  other  quarters  it  would  be  immediately  chal- 
lenged. So  be  it;  the  fact  that  approximately  as 
many  people  sit  at  the  feet  of  the  teachers  as  wait 
upon  the  ministry  of  the  preachers  is  an  all  but  start- 
ling fact. 

Practically  within  a  century  the  Sunday  school  has 
grown  from  the  most  meager  beginnings  to  an  insti- 
tution held  in  honor  by  all  men,  attended  by  thirty 
millions  of  people,  served  by  upwards  of  three  millions 
of  men  and  women  and  numbering  a  constituency 
practically  as  large  as  the  combined  congregations 
of  all  the  preachers  in  the  world. 

The  numbers  enrolled,  indicating  the  far-reach  of 
Sunday-school  power,  do  not  constitute  the  chief 
basis  of  our  estimate  of  the  place  of  this  institution, 
but  such  numbers  must  be  taken  into  account  in  our 
final  reckoning. 

We  may  get  a  further  hint  as  to  the  dignity  of  the 
modern  Sunday  school  by  considering  the  immense 
publishing  interests  which  have  been  created  by  the 
Sunday  school  to  meet  its  own  demands.  Among 
all  the  larger  denominations  throughout  this  and 
other  countries,  the  Sunday  school  has  produced  pub- 
lishing houses  of  commanding  proportions  and   of 


Introductory  Studies  1  j* 

vast  commercial  strength.  The  writer  is  thinking 
of  one  such  pubhshing  house  which  began  a  few  dec- 
ades ago  with  scant  resources  and  which,  measured 
by  its  income-making  power,  is  now  reckoned  well 
into  the  millions  of  dollars.  This  one  case  can  be  in 
a  measure  duplicated  in  many  sections.  In  Boston, 
New  York,  Philadelphia,  Dayton,  Richmond,  Cin- 
cinnati, Chicago,  St.  Louis,  Nashville,  and  other 
centers,  these  publishing  interests  set  to  serve  the 
Sunday  school  are  to  be  found.  While  hundreds  of 
thousands  and  even  milHons  have  been  contributed 
to  Christian  colleges  and  seminaries,  these  vast  publi- 
cation interests  have  for  the  most  part  grown  without 
appeals  for  gifts,  relying  almost  wholly  on  the  patron- 
age of  the  Sunday  schools. 

Here  again  we  would  not  lay  undue  stress,  but  the 
coming  of  these  vast  commercial  interests  to  buttress 
the  Sunday-school  cause  and  their  production  by  the 
Sunday  schools  must  count  as  an  element  in  reckon- 
ing the  place  of  the  modern  Sunday  school. 

Closely  connected  with  the  above  consideration  is 
the  body  of  literature  which  is  being  annually  pro- 
duced for  the  Sunday  school.  It  is  estimated  that 
the  papers  distributed  in  the  Sunday  schools  have  a 
wider  circulation  and  reach  more  people  than  the 
combined  weekly  denominational  press  of  the  country. 
The  Advanced  Quarterly  issued  for  the  schools  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church  has  reached  a  circula- 
tion of  more  than  a  million.  A  similar  periodical 
issued  by  the  Sunday-School  Board  of  the  Southern 
Baptist  Convention  has  a  circulation  of  600,000.    This 


l6  The  Present-Day  Sunday  School 

will  serve  to  give  some  idea  of  the  amount  of  litera- 
ture which  is  being  produced  for  the  Sunday  school. 
Bishop  James  Atkins  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church,  South,  recently  declared  that  if  the  literature 
distributed  during  the  past  five  years  in  the  Sunday 
schools  of  this  country  were  bound  in  i2mo.  volumes 
and  placed  side  by  side  in  usual  library  fashion  the 
shelf  required  would  reach  from  Nashville,  Tennessee, 
to  New  York  City.  Seventeen  denominational  and 
four  independent  publishers  in  the  United  States 
and  Canada  report  a  total  annual  circulation  of  348,- 
149,040  copies  of  periodical  literature.  In  addition 
to  the  above,  it  is  estimated  that  5,000,000  copies  of 
text-books  dealing  with  the  International  Graded 
Lessons  have  been  issued. 

An  institution  which  produces  literature  of  such 
quantity,  and  we  may  add  of  such  quality,  and  dis- 
seminates that  literature  among  the  most  plastic  and 
receptive  people  in  the  land  is  not  to  be  lightly 
regarded. 

The  place  and  power  of  the  Sunday  school  may 
also  be  seen  in  its  influence  on  the  distribution  of  the 
Bible.  When  the  Sunday  school  was  slowly  finding 
its  way  under  the  leadership  of  Robert  Raikes  and 
others  in  England  during  the  latter  part  of  the 
eighteenth  century,  a  small  but  powerful  coterie  of 
scoffers  residing  principally  in  Paris,  France,  were 
laying  plans  for  a  final  onslaught  on  the  old  Book. 
They  would  discredit  and  utterly  destroy  the  Bible. 
Voltaire,  their  leader,  declared  with  superb  confidence 
that  within  one  century  the  Bible  would  be  an  extinct 


Introductory  Studies  17 

book ;  men  would  read  the  musty  old  volume  as  they 
read  ancient  Latin  and  Greek  literature  in  order  to 
study  the  outworn  and  outgrown  ideas  and  theories 
of  ancient  religionists.  These  scoffers  knew  not  that 
even  in  their  own  day  an  institution  was  coming  into 
being  which  would  help  to  belie  their  prophecies  and 
thwart  their  plans. 

The  proposed  century  has  passed.  Is  the  Bible 
extinct?  During  the  century  in  which  the  Bible  was 
to  die,  two  Bible  societies  alone,  the  British  and  For- 
eign Bible  Society  and  the  American  Bible  Society, 
printed  400,000,000  copies  of  the  Scriptures.  These 
two  societies  alone  printed  enough  Bibles  to  furnish 
one  to  every  family  among  the  sixteen  hundred  mil- 
lions of  the  earth.  During  the  year  19 15,  a  year  un- 
favorable to  Bible  distribution  because  nearly  half  of 
the  world  was  at  war,  these  two  societies  produced 
twenty-one  millions  of  copies  of  the  Bible.  The 
American  Bible  Society  is  said  to  be  six  months  be- 
hind with  its  orders  for  Bibles.  The  Gideons  have 
placed  340,000  Bibles  in  the  guest  rooms  of  American 
hotels.  The  Bible  is  to-day  away  and  beyond  the 
"best  seller."  Rev.  W.  J.  McGlothhn,  LL.  D., 
Professor  of  Church  History  in  the  Southern  Baptist 
Theological  Seminary,  Louisville,  Kentucky,  gives  it 
as  his  opinion  that  more  Bibles  were  sent  out  during 
any  one  month  in  the  year  191 5  than  were  pro- 
duced during  the  first  fifteen  centuries  of  the  Chris- 
tian Era. 

These  figures  which  indicate  the  remarkable  spread 
of  the  Bible  in  our  day  only  faintly  indicate  the  power 


l8  The  Present-Day  Sunday-School 

wielded  by  the  old  Book  on  the  commercial,  civic, 
and  religious  life  of  the  world. 

No  undue  claim  is  made  here,  as  none  needs  to  be 
made,  for  the  Sunday  school  as  an  agency  in  this  won- 
derful development.  The  Sunday  school  has  beeu 
both  the  cause  and  the  effect  of  this  movement  for 
Bible  study.  But  he  would  be  bhnd  indeed  who 
could  not  see  that  a  chief  element  in  this  development 
is  the  modern  Sunday  school. 

A  consideration  of  the  place  which  the  Sunday 
school  holds  in  our  modern  educational  system  will 
aid  us  in  getting  a  proper  estimate  of  its  place  in  the 
life  of  our  day.  By  gradual  processes  the  educational 
plans  of  our  people  have  shifted.  In  our  free  democ- 
racy and  because  of  the  genius  of  our  institutions  it 
is  not  possible  for  state  schools  to  teach  the  Bible  in 
any  real  way.  Our  plea  must  be  for  religious  teach- 
ers rather  than  for  teachers  of  religion  in  our  state- 
owned  schools.  The  Bible  may  be  read,  and  many 
contend  that,  under  proper  conditions  and  with  proper 
limitations,  it  should  be  read,  in  our  state  schools. 
Surely  none  can  seriously  contend  that  the  Bible  shall 
be  taught  as  a  text-book  in  such  schools.  The  com- 
plex conditions  and  organization  of  our  modern  Hfe 
render  it  difficult,  if  not  impracticable,  for  the  average 
home  to  impart  systematic  and  continuous  instruction 
in  the  Bible.  The  religious  home  will  keep  the  Bible 
in  the  center  and  read  it  at  the  family  altar,  but  it  can 
hardly  be  expected  to  teach  worthy  educational 
courses  in  the  Bible.  If  then  the  Bible  is  not  to  be 
taught  in  the  public  school,  and  if  the  home  cannot 


Introductory  Studies  19 

well  cany  the  burden  of  Bible  teaching,  this  vast 
responsibility  is  left  largely  to  the  Sunday  school.  In 
the  temple  of  popular  education  the  Sunday  school 
is  a  chief  pillar. 

In  the  relation  which  the  Sunday  school  sustains 
to  the  church,  in  the  contribution  which  the  Sunday 
school  makes  not  only  to  the  well-being,  but  the  very 
existence,  of  the  church,  we  may  get  a  further  view 
of  its  real  significance.  We  are  told,  and  told  so 
often  that  most  of  us  have  come  to  believe  it,  that 
some  eighty-five  per  cent,  of  our  church  members 
come  out  of  the  Sunday  school.  It  would  probably 
be  difficult  to  verify  such  figures,  and  yet  every  ob- 
serving person  must  know  that  they  represent  a  sub- 
stantial and  altogether  vital  fact.  A  denominational 
leader,  now  a  bishop  in  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church,  puts  it  thus :  "  If  the  Sunday  school  were  to 
go  out  of  business  my  church  would  be  cut  in  half  in 
fifteen  years ;  in  thirty  years  my  church  would  be 
practically  dead." 

While  we  have  sought  to  give  some  tangible  evi- 
dences of  the  power  of  the  Sunday  school,  we  are 
aware  that  the  best  evidences  of  such  power  are  not 
tangible  and  can  never  be  set  down  in  figures.  This 
institution  lifts  hundreds  of  thousands  of  souls  up 
into  the  presence  of  God  each  Sabbath  day.  The 
light  and  warmth  of  sacred  worship  and  Scripture 
truth  kindle  hearts,  and  these  thousands  face  the 
duties  and  service  of  the  days  which  follow  with  more 
strength,  fuller  confidence,  and  higher  motives.  Un- 
counted thousands  of  men  and  women  who  no  longer 


20  The  Present-Day  Sunday  School 

attend  this  school,  and  perhaps  never  will  do  so  again, 
live  upon  a  higher  plane,  love  more  and  serve  better, 
because  in  other  and  plastic  years  they  went  to  Sun- 
day school. 

References  : 

Frost,  **  The  School  of  the  Church — Its  Preeminent  Place 
and  Purpose."     %\,\^. 

Cope,  "  The  Modern  Sunday  School  and  Its  Present-Day 
Task  "(Chapter  I).     ^1.15. 


n 

A  PROPER  DESIGNATION 

THE  Sunday  school  is  a  many-sided  institu- 
tion, and  renders  such  varied  service,  there 
can  be  little  wonder  that  it  has  been  diffi- 
cult to  agree  upon  a  designation  for  it  which  can  be 
generally  accepted.  In  late  years  there  has  been 
marked  disposition  to  discuss  this  question  of  a  proper 
designation  and  the  tendency  seems  to  be  towards 
divergence  rather  than  towards  unity  of  view. 

The  designations  most  commonly  urged  for  use  in 
connection  with  this  institution  for  the  religious  in- 
struction of  our  people  are  five  in  number  :  The  Sun- 
day School ;  The  Bible  School ;  The  Church  School ; 
The  Teaching  Service  of  the  Church ;  and  The  School 
of  Religion. 

The  earliest  and  most  widely  accepted  designation 
is  "  Sunday  School."  In  the  days  of  Robert  Raikes 
and  other  early  founders,  this  school  was  significantly 
called  the  "  Sunday  school."  It  met  on  Sunday  and 
was  doubtless  the  only  school  of  any  consequence 
which  did  so.  Institutions  frequently  get  their  names 
from  some  immediate  condition  or  attending  circum- 
stance. They  frequently  outgrow  their  early  desig- 
nations and  many  institutions  carry  names  which  are 
manifestly  inadequate.  It  is  but  true  to  say,  how- 
ever, that  there  is  frequently  a  fine  accuracy  in  the 

21 


22  The  Present-Day  Sunday  School 

apparently  chance  appellations  which  grow  into  use, 
and  that  such  appellations  often  manifest  remarkable 
persistency. 

Sunday,  as  the  day  on  which  the  school  meets,  as 
the  day  which  symbolizes  the  central  thought  of 
revelation  and  redemption,  Sunday,  the  day  which 
supplanted  the  Hebrew  Sabbath,  the  day  on  which 
our  Lord  rose  from  the  dead,  Sunday,  lends  itself  to 
distinguish  this  school  from  other  schools.  As  it 
was  in  the  earlier  years,  so  it  is  still,  the  school  is  the 
*'  Sunday  "  school  and  is  yet  the  only  school  of  con- 
sequence which  meets  exclusively  on  that  day. 
Verily,  ours  is  the  Sunday  school.  It  deals  with  the 
things  which,  while  they  concern  all  the  days,  yet 
are  divinely  meant  to  find  special  emphasis  on  Sun- 
day, "  the  first  day  of  the  week."  Like  the  day 
whose  name  it  bears,  this  school  concerns  itself  with 
God  and  with  His  inspired  Word,  with  the  things 
which,  having  preeminence  on  this  first  day  of  the 
week,  pour  their  influence  and  power  down  through 
all  the  days  of  the  week. 

The  phrase  Sunday  school  accomplishes  one  end 
for  which  all  names  should  be  given  ;  it  does  effectu- 
ally distinguish  this  school  from  other  schools.  No 
one  is  in  doubt  as  to  what  institution  is  intended 
when  he  hears  concerning  the  Sunday  school.  Only 
one  institution  in  the  world  can  be  meant  by  this 
designation.  This  title  has  persisted  for  more  than  a 
hundred  years  and  has  attained  such  wide  use  that  it 
will  be  difificult  to  supplant  it.  While  the  phrase 
does  effectually  distinguish  our  school  from  others, 


Introductory  Studies  23 

it  does  not  adequately  describe  its  nature  and  mission. 
No  one  would  claim  that  it  is  entirely  satisfactory 
or  sufficiently  comprehensive.  Those  who  use  this 
designation,  and  doubtless  those  who  would  incline 
to  advocate  its  use,  are  ready  to  grant  its  inadequacy. 

The  designation,  "  Bible  School,"  has  much  in  its 
favor  and  has  naturally  found  earnest  advocacy.  In 
this  case  the  name  of  the  text- book  rather  than  the 
day  of  meeting  lends  itself  to  distinguish  this  school 
from  other  schools. 

Is  this  phrase  altogether  adequate?  We  do,  in- 
deed, teach  the  Bible  and  are  more  than  content  that 
the  Bible  shall  be  our  only  text-book.  But  do  we 
not  do  more  than  teach  the  Bible,  and  do  we  not 
teach  more  than  the  Bible  in  order  to  really  teach 
the  Bible  ? 

The  authoritative  and  original  teaching  of  Jesus 
can  hardly  be  altogether  imitated  by  His  present-day 
followers,  but  it  may  at  least  be  suggestive  as  to  what 
is  to  be  expected  in  the  school  of  His  church.  At 
the  close  of  His  career,  His  pupils  may  or  may  not 
have  known  much  more  of  Scripture  facts  and  history 
than  when  He  began  His  teaching.  An  ordinary 
examination  or  test  might  not  have  disclosed  any 
marked  increase  in  Scripture  knowledge.  His  effort 
was  to  interpret  God  in  the  Scriptures  rather  than 
simply  to  teach  the  Scriptures.  He  loved  and  taught 
truth  as  He  found  it  in  the  Scriptures — He  led  men 
afield  for  the  discovery  of  truth,  using  the  Scriptures 
as  source-book,  and  finding  truth  hidden  away  in  all 
realms  of  nature  and  life.     While  His  pupils  indeed 


24         The  Present- Day  Sunday  School 

may  not  have  known  much  more  Scripture  than 
when  He  began  to  teach  them,  they  did  know  the 
Scriptures  more  deeply  and  more  luminously.  Jesus 
led  them  to  the  Scriptures  for  a  knowledge  of  the 
truth  and  He  also  led  them  to  the  Scriptures  for 
illustration  and  enforcement  of  the  truth.  A  lover 
of  truth,  a  discoverer  of  truth,  a  teacher  of  truth,  our 
Lord  cited  the  Scriptures  to  prove  and  illustrate  the 
truth,  but  was  careful  in  the  end  to  rest  His  plea  not 
only  on  His  own  authority,  not  only  on  the  authority 
of  the  Book,  but  also  on  the  appeal  of  the  truth  it- 
self. 

Is  it  not  the  end  of  our  school  to  teach  truth,  to 
teach  religion,  to  bring  to  a  vital  and  saving  knowl- 
edge of  God  in  Christ,  while  we  teach  the  Bible  as 
the  means  of  accomplishing  these  ends  ?  May  we 
not  be  in  a  way  faithful  and  persistent  in  teaching 
the  Bible,  and  yet  fail  to  teach  the  deep-down  truth 
which  lies  far  beneath  the  surface,  the  truth  which 
has  in  it  the  breath  of  life  ?  While  our  school  is  in- 
deed a  Bible  School,  it  is  much  more. 

It  has  been  suggested  that  "  Bible  School "  does 
not  immediately  and  sharply  distinguish  our  school 
from  other  schools  ;  that  there  are  other  Bible  schools, 
other  educational  institutions  in  which  the  Bible  is 
the  supreme  text-book ;  that  some  of  these  bear  the 
name  "  Bible  School"  while  others  have  distinctive 
designations  of  their  own.  The  suggestion  may 
have  some  weight,  but  it  must  be  conceded  that 
when  the  church  school  is  called  the  Bible  school, 
th^rQ  is  little  probability  in  these  days  that  one's 


Introductory  Studies  25 

meaning  will  fail  to  be  clear.  The  church  school  is 
now  the  one  outstanding  institution  which  exists  ex- 
clusively for  the  teaching  of  the  Bible.  Efforts  have 
not  been  wanting  to  place  other  literature  in  the 
curriculum  of  the  school  alongside  of,  if  not  on 
a  par  with,  the  Bible.  The  designation,  "  Bible 
School,"  is  a  challenge  to  every  such  effort  and  a 
standing  plea  for  the  Bible  as  the  supreme  and  ex- 
clusive text-book  in  this  church  school. 

"  The  Church  School "  or  "  The  School  of  the 
Church  "  is  a  happy  descriptive  phrase  and  at  first 
was  perhaps  not  intended  to  be  more.  But  the 
designation  is  so  satisfactory  and  so  comprehensively 
defines  the  nature  and  mission  of  the  school  that  it 
has  come  to  enjoy  increasing  favor.  Here,  not  the 
day  of  meeting  nor  yet  the  text-book,  but  the  church 
as  the  source  of  authority  lends  itself  to  distinguish 
the  school.  The  Northern  Baptist  Convention  has 
passed  resolutions  recommending  its  use  and  there 
are  signs  that  it  may  come  into  more  general  favor. 

Ours  is  the  school  which  is  the  chief  agency  of  the 
Christian  church  in  carrying  on  its  work  of  teaching. 
It  finds  its  authority,  its  message,  its  support,  and  its 
ultimate  end  in  teaching  in  the  realms  of  the  church. 
Certainly  the  school  may  exist  apart  from  any  given 
organized  church ;  it  may  precede  the  church  and 
later  lead  to  the  establishment  of  the  church ;  but  in 
essence  and  fact  our  school  is,  under  any  conditions, 
properly  the  school  of  the  church.  Its  ultimate  aim 
is  broadly  to  instruct  in  the  things  which  stand 
central  in  the  idea  of  the  church.     The  nature  of  the 


26         The  Present-Day  Sunday  School 

obligations  thus  imposed  on  the  school  and  the 
fruitage  which  it  may  properly  be  expected  to  bear 
are  discussed  with  rare  insight  and  marked  helpful- 
ness in  the  book,  "  The  School  of  the  Church/'  by 
Rev.  J.  M.  Frost,  LL.  D. 

The  phrase,  "  Teaching  Service,"  is  hkewise  advo- 
cated as  descriptive  rather  than  as  a  name.  It  is  a 
happy  description  of  our  school,  setting  it  out  as  in 
some  sense  coordinate  with  the  service  for  preaching 
which  has  had  so  large  relative  emphasis.  Our  school 
is  the  service  of  the  church  in  which  teaching  is  es- 
pecially emphasized  as  over  against  the  preaching 
service  in  which  the  preaching  of  the  Word  is  magni- 
fied, or  the  prayer-meeting  which  is  distinctively  a 
service  of  prayer.  The  school  is  not  to  be  regarded  as 
an  adjunct  or  merely  as  an  activity  of  the  church.  It 
is  the  church  engaged  in  the  high  service  of  teaching 
the  Word  of  God. 

"  The  School  of  Religion  "  is  advocated  in  certain 
quarters  as  a  proper  designation  for  our  institution. 
The  Union  Theological  Seminary  in  New  York  City 
conducts  a  special  model  Sunday  school  which  serves 
the  Seminary  Community  and  which  offers  training 
for  prospective  workers.  This  school  is  called  "  The 
School  of  Religion."  This  is  a  significant  and  com- 
prehensive designation  for  our  school  whose  mission 
is  to  develop  the  deep  and  varied  elements  of  the  re- 
ligious life.  Being  a  school  of  religion  and  dealing 
with  the  finer  elements  of  the  spiritual  life,  this  school 
stands  distinct  from  other  schools  in  its  mission,  its 
nature,  and  its  methods. 


Introductory  Studies  27 

Other  titles  have  been  urged  and  yet  others  will  be 
urged.  This  growing  concern  as  regards  the  desig- 
nation is  only  one  of  the  many  indications  that  this 
school  is  being  taken  more  and  more  seriously. 

It  is  noteworthy  that  in  all  of  these  designations 
the  idea  of  **  school "  somehow  appears.  Whatever 
else  the  Sunday  school  may  be,  it  is  basally  and  pri- 
marily a  school.  However  widely  it  may  differ  in 
spirit  and  method  from  other  schools,  it  is  yet  a 
school.  It  is  set  to  teach  and  train  in  the  realm  of 
the  soul.  It  may  achieve  abundant  success  in  its 
highest  ends  without  making  marked  contribution  to 
mental  or  intellectual  life.  This  school  has  suffered 
much  at  the  hands  of  workers  who,  failing  to  grasp 
these  basal  distinctions  between  this  and  other  schools, 
have  hastened  indiscriminately  to  introduce  into  this 
school  plans  and  methods  which  have  been  success- 
fully used  in  other  schools.  Happy  the  Sunday- 
school  worker  who,  in  the  midst  of  the  rush  and  whirl 
which  so  largely  mark  all  the  life  of  our  day,  has 
strength  and  grace  quietly  to  sift  the  chaff  from  the 
wheat,  to  separate  between  the  methods  which  may 
properly  serve  in  the  church  school  and  those  which 
are  useful  only  in  other  institutions. 


Studies  in  Grading 

III 

GRADING  THE  SUNDAY  SCHOOL 

APPILY,  it  seems  no  longer  necessary  to 
make  lengthened  argument  in  favor  of 
grading  the  Sunday  school.  Grading  is  a 
law  of  education.  God  has  graded  our  pupils  for  us 
and  we  merely  discover  and  fall  in  with  the  lines 
which  God  has  drawn.  Grading  in  the  Sunday  school 
is  no  longer  a  theory.  It  is  no  longer  an  experiment. 
It  has  been  thoroughly  tested  in  widely  different  sec- 
tions and  under  many  conditions.  Some  rules  which 
have  been  laid  down  in  connection  with  grading  have 
proven  unwise,  some  methods  which  have  been  pro- 
posed have  not  been  practicable,  but  grading  itself 
stands  out  in  clear  hght  as  a  demonstrated  educa- 
tional law  and  as  an  essential  in  the  best  Sunday- 
school  efforts. 

While  the  modern  movement  for  grading  had  its 
beginnings  many  decades  ago,  it  is  only  within  the 
past  twenty  years  that  serious  efforts  have  been  made 
to  introduce  grading  practically  and  generally  into 
the  Sunday  school.  The  Sunday  school  is,  in  the 
nature  of  the  case,  a  conservative  institution.  It 
moves,  and  probably  ought  to  move,  slowly  in  mak- 

28 


Studies  in  Grading  29 

ing  changes.  The  transition  time  when  the  school 
is  passing  from  the  old  order  to  the  new,  from  types 
of  organization  which  had  been  in  vogue  for  a  cen- 
tury to  a  new  order  of  organization,  and  from  the 
Uniform  to  the  Graded  Lessons,  is  necessarily  a  some- 
what difficult  and  trying  time. 

Grading  in  the  Sunday  school  implies  (i)  graded 
pupils,  (2)  graded  lessons,  (3)  graded  teachers,  (4) 
graded  worship,  and  (5)  regular  promotion.  Pupils 
must  be  grouped  in  classes  according  to  their  need, 
their  capacity,  and  their  development ;  lessons  adapted 
to  meet  the  growing  needs  of  these  class  groups  must 
be  selected ;  teachers  especially  trained  to  deal  with 
the  groups  must  be  chosen  and  trained ;  even  the 
worship  must  be  graded  to  meet  the  varying  needs 
of  unfolding  hfe ;  while  regular  promotion  of  course  is 
essential.  It  will  be  readily  seen  that  grading  in  this 
broad  sense  involves  a  wide  and  varied  development 
and  calls  for  a  program  which  will  require  both  time 
and  patience  for  its  full  fruition.  The  superintendent 
and  workers  who  grade  their  school  on  Sunday  and 
expect  to  see  fruits  from  the  grading  the  next  Sun- 
day will  probably  see  fruits  of  various  kinds,  but  they 
will  hardly  see  the  ripened  educational  fruits  which 
they  ought  to  be  seeking. 

The  generally  approved  plans  for  organization  fol- 
low closely  the  natural  divisions  of  human  life  and 
fall  in  with  established  plans  in  general  education. 

The  Elementary  Division  (Birth  to  twelve). 
The  Secondary  Division  (Thirteen  to  twenty). 
The  Adult  Division  (Twenty-one  and  up). 


30  The  Present- Day  Sunday  School 

Nature  leads  in  bringing  to  maturity  through  two 
well-recognized  stages  of  growth,  childhood  and  ado- 
lescence. The  Elementary  Division  of  the  Sunday 
school  embraces  all  the  years  of  childhood.  The 
Secondary  Division,  corresponding  to  what  in  usual 
educational  nomenclature  is  called  Secondary  Educa- 
tion as  conducted  in  the  High  School  and  Academy 
embraces  the  years  from  thirteen  to  twenty.  The 
Adult  Division,  as  the  name  indicates,  embraces  the 
adults  of  the  Sunday  school. 

The  Elementary  Division  embraces  four  Depart- 
ments : 

The  Cradle  Roll  (Birth  to  three). 
The  Beginners'  Department  (Four  and  five). 
The  Primary  Department  (Six  to  eight). 
The  Junior  Department  (Nine  to  twelve). 

The  Cradle  Roll  consists  of  the  little  children  from 
birth  to  three  years  of  age  who  cannot  attend  the  ses- 
sions of  the  school.  Their  names  are  appropriately 
exhibited  on  the  Sunday-school  wall.  The  children 
are  remembered  on  their  birthdays  and  at  other  suita- 
ble times.  They  should  be  especially  remembered  at 
Christmas  in  any  distribution  of  gifts,  and  in  connec- 
tion with  sickness  or  other  crucial  seasons.  The 
writer  recalls  one  signal  instance  in  which  Cradle  Roll 
workers  brought  a  young  father  and  mother  to  Christ 
and  to  church  membership.  This  has  been  done 
times  without  number.  He  must  be  blind  indeed  who 
does  not  see  what  a  varied  and  blessed  ministry  is 
possible  during  these  early  years.     Full  leaflet  litera- 


Studies  in  Grading  31 

ture  on  the  Cradle  Roll  may  be  secured  from  the  de- 
nominational publishing  houses. 

The  Beginners'  Department  includes  the  children 
four  and  five  years  of  age.  These  do  not  read  ;  they 
do  not  attend  school ;  they  have  much  in  common, 
and  can  be  conv^eniently  grouped  by  themselves. 

The  Primary  Department  includes  children  from 
six  to  eight  years  of  age.  There  seem  to  be  good 
reasons  for  grouping  these  ages  together.  Now  the 
children  go  to  school ;  they  have  some  touch  with 
the  outside  world ;  they  are  learning  to  read  and  can 
perform  tasks  assigned. 

The  Junior  Department  comprises  boys  and  girls 
from  nine  to  twelve  years  of  age.  It  is  not  difficult 
to  see  why  these  ages  are  grouped  together  and  why 
boys  and  girls  of  this  age  constitute  a  somewhat  dis- 
tinct department  for  management  and  teaching. 

The  Secondary  Division  embraces  two  Depart- 
ments :  * 

The  Intermediate  Department  (Thirteen  to  six- 
teen). 
The  Senior  Department  (Seventeen  to  twenty). 

The  Intermediate  Department  embraces  young 
people  from  thirteen  to  sixteen  years  of  age,  or  the 
early  adolescent  period.  Students  of  young  life  are 
not  altogether  agreed  as  to  the  proper  age  divisions 

1  We  follow  throughout  this  book  the  age  lines  which  have  been 
generally  accepted.  There  are  Sunday-school  workers  who  urge 
that  a  more  natural  division  of  pupils  would  call  for  departments 
somewhat  as  follows:  Intermediate  12  to  14;  Senior  15  to  I'J ; 
Young  People  18  to  2^;  Adult  24  up. 


32  The  Present-Day  Sunday  School 

here,  but  for  practical  purposes  and  because  the  divi- 
sions as  outlined  are  becoming  fixed  in  the  minds  of 
Sunday-school  workers  and  cast  in  Sunday-school 
literature,  it  will  probably  be  necessary  to  let  the 
divisions  stand  as  they  have  stood  for  many  years. 

The  Senior  Department  includes  young  men  and 
women  from  seventeen  to  twenty  years  of  age.  The 
last  named  age  limit  must  be  kept  flexible,  and 
promotion  from  this  department  to  the  Adult  De- 
partment must  be  skillfully  arranged. 

The  Adult  Division,  which  corresponds  to  the 
Adult  Department,  includes  all  ages  from  twenty-one 
up.  This,  in  recent  years,  has  become  a  notable 
feature  of  Sunday-school  work.  Men  and  women 
into  many  thousands  have  been  brought  into  organ- 
ized classes,  thus  increasing  Sunday-school  attend- 
ance and  widening  Sunday-school  influence. 

The  Home  Department  includes  all  who  cannot, 
or  will  not,  attend  Sunday  school.  These  will  in- 
clude the  shut-ins  and  those  who  may  be  compelled 
to  labor  on  Sunday.  The  modern  Sunday  school  is 
pressing  this  idea  of  extension  work  in  many  ways — 
classes  have  their  Home  Department  roll,  depart- 
ments have  such  a  roll — but  it  seems  probable  that 
no  other  method  or  plan  will  effectually  supplant  the 
now  time-honored  Home  Department  of  the  Sunday 
school.  Leaflet  literature  may  be  secured  on  applica- 
tion to  any  of  the  denominational  publishing  houses. 

In  accordance  with  the  above,  the  usually  accepted 
outline  of  Sunday-school  organization  stands  as  fol- 
lows ; 


Studies  in  Grading  33 

The  Elementary  Division  (Birth  to  twelve) : 
The  Cradle  Roll  (Birth  to  three). 
The  Beginners'  Department  (Four  and  five). 
The  Primary  Department  (Six  to  eight). 
The  Junior  Department  (Nme  to  twelve). 

The  Secondary  Division  (Thirteen  to  twenty) : 
The  Intermediate  Department  (Thirteen  to 

sixteen). 
The  Senior  Department  (Seventeen  to  twenty). 

The  Advanced  Division  (Twenty-one  and  up)  : 
The  Adult  Department. 
The  Home  Department. 

These  Divisions  and  Departments  may  be  thus  set 
forth : ' 


Birth  to  12 

13  to  20 

21  and  upward 

Elementary 

Secondary 

Adult 

Cradle  Roll  .  .    .0-3 
Beginners  .    .    .  4-5 
Primary  ....  6-8 
Junior  ....  9-12 

Intermediate  .  13-16 
Senior    .    .    .    17-20 

Adult  ....  2i-up 
Home  Department 

The  full  outline  of  organization  by  Divisions,  De- 
partments, and  Classes  or  grades  would  stand  some- 
ivhat  as  follows  :  ^ 

*  J.  T.  Watts,  "  Convention  Adult  Bible  Classes,"  page  67. 
'  See  "  New  Convention  Normal  Manual,"  page  19. 


34         The  Present-Day  Sunday  School 

The  Elementary  Division : 
Cradle  Roll  (Birth  to  three). 
Beginners'  Department — 

Class  I.  First  Grade — Age  4. 

Class  2.  Second  Grade — Age  5. 

Primary  Department: 

Class  3.  First  Grade — Age  6. 
Class  4.  Second  Grade — Age  7. 
Class  5.  Third  Grade — Age  8. 

Junior  Department : 

Class  6.  First  Grade  Boys — Age  9. 
Class  7.  First  Grade  Girls — Age  9. 
Class  8.  Second  Grade  Boys — Age  10. 
Class  9.  Second  Grade  Girls — Age  10. 
Class  10.  Third  Grade  Boys — Age  1 1. 
Class  II.  Third  Grade  Girls — Age  II. 
Class  12.  Fourth  Grade  Boys — Age  12. 
Class  13.  Fourth  Grade  Girls — Age  12. 

The  Secondary  Division : 

The  Intermediate  Department — 

Class  14.  First  Grade  Boys — Age  13. 
Class  15.  First  Grade  Girls — Age  13. 
Class  16.  Second  Grade  Boys — Age  14. 
Class  17.  Second  Grade  Girls — Age  14. 
Class  18.  Third  Grade  Boys — Age  15. 
Class  19.  Third  Grade  Girls — Age  15. 
Class  20.  Fourth  Grade  Boys — Age  16. 
Class  21.  Fourth  Grade  Girls — Age  16. 

The  Senior  Department : 
Class  22.  Young  Men. 
Class  23.  Young  Women. 
(More  classes  as  needed.) 

The  Advanced  Division  : 
The  Adult  Department — 
Class  24.  Men. 


Studies  in  Grading  35 

Class  25.  Women. 
Class  26.  Men  and  Women. 
(More  classes  as  needed.) 

The  Home  Department. 

(As  many  classes  as  may  be  needed.) 

The  above  schedule  does  not  accurately  reflect  the 
number  of  classes  in  the  school  fully  graded  by  years. 
In  the  Beginners'  Department  only  two  classes  are 
suggested,  and  only  three  in  the  Primary  Depart- 
ment. In  a  school  large  enough  to  justify  eight 
classes  in  the  Junior,  and  eight  in  the  Intermediate 
Department,  the  Beginners'  and  Primary  Departments 
should  have  at  least  four  and  six  classes  respectively. 

For  small  schools  the  above  schedule  is,  of  course, 
impracticable.  Such  schools  may  require  some 
modification  of  the  following  outline  : 

Class  I.  Beginners — Ages  4  and  5. 

Class  2.  Primary — Ages  6,  7,  8. 

Class  3.  Junior  Boys — Ages  9,  10,  1 1,  12. 

Class  4.  Junior  Girls — Ages  9,  10,  1 1,  12. 

Class  5.  Intermediate  Boys — Ages  13, 14, 15,  16. 

Class  6.  Intermediate  Girls — Ages  13,  14,  15,  16. 

Class  7.  Senior  Boys — Ages  17,  18,  19,  20. 

Class  8.  Senior  Girls — Ages  17,  18,  19,  20. 

Class  9.  Adult — Ages  21,  up. 

If  the  school  is  very  small,  the  following  plan  may 
be  practicable  : 

Class  I.  Beginners — Ages  4,  5. 

Class  2.  Primary — Ages  6,  7,  8. 

Class  3.  Junior — Ages  9,  10,  11,  12. 

Class  4.  Intermediate — Ages  13,  14,  15,  16. 


3^  The  Present-Day  Sunday  School 

Class  5.  Senior — Ages  17  to  20. 
Class  6.  Adult — Ages  21  and  up. 

The  essential  principles  involved  in  grading  are 
not  new.  Before  the  time  of  our  Lord  the  Jewish 
synagogue  placed  its  pupils  according  to  the  stage 
they  had  attained  in  unfolding  development,  and 
sought  to  select  Scriptural  material  suited  to  each 
stage.  From  the  beginning  of  the  Sunday-school 
movement,  it  has  been  customary  to  group  pupils 
somewhat  in  accordance  with  their  age  and  develop- 
ment. Grading,  as  now  advocated,  seeks  some  im- 
portant changes  in  plans  long  used. 

(i)  It  offers  a  definite  basis  for  grouping  pupils. 
General  principles  are  reduced  to  rules  in  order  that 
they  may  be  readily  applied. 

(2)  It  makes  definite  plans  for  promotion,  or  the 
passing  of  pupils  up  as  they  advance  in  years. 

(3)  It  provides  for  departments  and  divisions 
which  facilitate  the  proper  management  and  develop- 
ment of  the  school. 

(4)  It  paves  the  way  for  graded  or  adapted  in- 
struction and  for  graded  teachers  who  may  specialize 
in  the  teaching  of  special  ages. 

Properly  understood,  therefore,  grading  is  not  a 
revolution,  but  a  natural  evolution,  a  working  out  of 
principles  and  plans  which,  from  the  beginning,  have 
been  in  some  measure  recognized  in  Sunday-school 
plans  and  work. 


Studies  in  Grading  3^^ 

References  : 

Beauchamp,  *'  The  Graded  Sunday  School."      50  cents. 

Hurlbut,  "  Seven  Graded  Sunday  Schools."  (This  little 
book,  issued  in  1893,  comprises  a  series  of  practical  papers 
telling  of**  Seven  Graded  Sunday  Schools."  The  book  sheds 
interesting  light  on  the  early  development  of  grading  in  the 
Sunday  school.)     50  cents. 

Meyer,  **  The  Graded  Sunday  School  in  Principle  and  Prac- 
tice."    75  cents. 

Cope,  **  The  Modern  Sunday  School  and  Its  Present  Day 
Task."     %\.\^. 

Spilman,  '*  The  New  Convention  Normal  Manual  "  (Di- 
vision I).     50  cents. 


T 


IV 

PROBLEMS  OF  GRADING 

What  is  the  proper  basis  for  grading  ? 
f  g  ^HE  object  of  grading  is  partly  to  place  our 
pupils  in  convenient  and  congenial  groups 
for  teaching  and  partly  to  secure  graded 
steps  so  that  they  may  be  taught  in  concentric  circles 
as  they  advance  towards  maturity.  This  object  of 
grading  must  be  kept  in  mind  as  we  come  to  con- 
sider the  basis  upon  which  we  shall  grade. 

In  the  earlier  history  of  the  Graded  Sunday  school, 
when  the  question  of  the  basis  of  grading  was  yet 
undetermined,  two  methods  were  earnestly  advocated, 
the  grade  in  the  public  school  and  the  age.  There 
were  evident  difficulties  involved  in  using,  as  a  basis 
for  grading,  the  pupil's  public  school  grade.  Apart 
from  other  more  serious  considerations,  large  num- 
bers of  children  leave  the  public  school  early,  and 
hence  have  no  public  school  grade.  Gradually  the 
age  basis  grew  in  favor  until  it  has  been  generally 
accepted  as  the  most  convenient  and  practicable 
standard  for  the  classifying  of  pupils.  The  Sunday 
school  does  not  concern  itself  primarily  with  the 
intellect,  and  intellectual  standards  can  hardly  guide 
us  here.     Age  is  the  best  general  clue  to  the  child's 

38 


Studies  in  Grading  39 

spiritual  need  and  development.  The  age  test  is 
easily  applied.  This  basis  has  been  all  but  univer- 
sally adopted  in  this  and  other  countries. 

The  question  was  once  discussed  with  some  inter- 
est as  to  whether  and  when  exceptions  should  be 
made  in  grading  on  the  age  basis.  The  question  has 
proven  to  be  academic  rather  than  practical.  The 
question  of  exceptions  must,  after  all,  be  determined 
locally.  Mr.  M.  S.  Littlefield  well  insists  that  the 
class  groups  shall  be  so  formed  as  to  make  social 
units.  In  grading  the  pupils  he  would  take  account 
both  of  age  and  of  day-school  standing.  "  If  the 
pupil  is  older  than  his  day-school  age  would  indicate, 
his  age  may  be  made  the  basis  of  grading  in  the 
Sunday  school.  If  the  pupil  is  younger  than  those 
in  his  grade  in  the  day  school,  he  should  always  be 
placed  in  the  corresponding  grade  in  the  Sunday 
school." 

It  has  been  also  suggested  that  physical  develop- 
ment may  be  taken  into  account  in  grading  as  well 
as  age  and  attainment.  A  practical  observer  declares 
that  boys  too  tall  for  their  age  drop  out  when  classi- 
fied by  age  and  that  girls  too  small  for  their  age 
drop  out  when  classified  by  size.  Some  large  schools 
have  found  it  possible  to  make  special  provision  in 
additional  classes  for  pupils  which  may  not  properly 
be  graded  on  the  age  basis. 

How  shall  we  grade  the  school  ? 

Two  methods  have  been  advocated :  to  grade  the 
school  gradually  and  through  a  period  of  years,  and 
to  grade  it  all  in  one  day. 


40         The  Present-Day  Sunday  School 

There  are  those  who  urge  that  the  school  would 
best  be  graded  by  a  gradual  process  so  as  not  to  dis- 
turb its  spiritual  life  and  work.  They  would  grade 
the  lower  departments  ;  they  would  carefully  promote 
all  pupils  once  a  year,  and  they  would  take  pains  to 
assign  all  new  pupils  to  their  proper  grades.  It  will 
be  seen  that  these  plans,  faithfully  pursued,  will  ulti- 
mately produce  a  graded  school.  This  plan  would 
naturally  be  favored  by  more  conservative  workers 
and  would  require  for  its  successful  use  a  firm  and 
continuous  administration. 

A  more  practical  method,  and  one  which  seems  to 
meet  with  wider  favor,  is  to  break  all  the  old  lines 
of  organization  at  one  sitting  of  the  school,  and  grade 
the  pupils  by  ages  into  departments  and  classes,  as  is 
elsewhere  outlined  in  this  book.  This  plan  may  not 
be  really  so  sudden  as  it  would  seem.  If  it  is  to  be 
successfully  carried  out,  faithful  preparation  must  be 
made.  So  far  as  possible  the  whole  school  com- 
munity, pupils  as  well  as  teachers,  should  understand 
what  is  proposed.  Difficulties  and  objections  should 
be  dealt  with  and  removed  in  advance. 

There  is  an  interesting  and  well-verified  story  of  a 
specialist  who,  without  this  needed  preparation,  came 
in  and  thoroughly  graded  a  Sunday  school  after  the 
most  approved  modern  fashion.  The  next  Sunday 
morning  when  the  superintendent  announced  that 
the  classes  would  go  to  their  places,  there  was  an 
awkward  pause,  a  bit  of  hesitation,  and — the  classes, 
ignoring  the  new  ordering  of  the  previous  Sunday, 
went  "  to  their  accustomed  places."     This  is  an  ex- 


Studies  in  Grading  41 

treme  case,  but  it  is  to  be  feared  that  something  akin 
to  this  has  occurred  all  too  often. 

Havoc  may  be  wrought  and  harm  immeasurable 
by  heedless  haste  in  the  introduction  of  modern 
methods  into  the  Sunday  school.  Caution  may  be 
thrown  to  the  winds,  reverence  for  the  deep-set  feel- 
ings of  plain  and  earnest  men  and  women  may  be 
forgotten,  and  types  of  organization  may  be  hur- 
riedly installed  which  will  be  resented  by  faithful 
workers. 

Two  men,  both  pastors  for  many  years,  talked  to- 
gether of  their  long  ministry.  "  My  pohcy,"  said  one 
of  them,  "  has  been  to  think  for  my  people.  When 
I  saw  that  a  thing  was  right  and  ought  to  be  intro- 
duced, I  proceeded  to  introduce  it."  Said  the  other 
man,  "  I  have  worked  a  little  differently.  When  I 
wished  to  introduce  a  new  method  or  idea,  I  laid  off 
a  year  perhaps,  sometimes  five  years  and  more,  for  the 
task.  I  mentioned  the  matter  among  my  people  and 
asked  them  to  think  it  over  and  talk  about  it  among 
themselves.  I  gave  full  time  for  my  people  to  get 
together  and  I  have  never  yet  sought  to  pass  any 
measure  over  the  heads  of  a  minority."  The  first 
speaker  had  changed  pastorates  on  an  average  of 
once  in  two  and  a  half  years.  The  last  speaker  had 
been  for  nearly  thirty  years  the  honored  and  increas- 
ingly useful  pastor  of  a  growing  church. 

When  full  information  has  been  given  to  all  work- 
ers about  the  new  order,  when  objections  have  been 
fully  dealt  with  and  difficulties  patiently  removed,  let 
the  superintendent  and  his  workers  grade  the  school 


42         The  Present-Day  Sunday  School 

on  paper.  This  is  indispensable.  They  will  place  on 
paper,  tentatively,  every  officer,  every  teacher  and 
every  pupil.  When  they  have  done  this  with  the 
utmost  care,  they  will  probably  wish  to  let  matters 
wait  for  a  season  until  all  have  had  time  to  think 
through  and  pray  over  the  newly  outlined  plans. 
Having  graded  the  school  on  paper,  arranged  for 
every  office,  grouped  every  class,  and  foreseen  as 
nearly  as  possible  every  emergency,  they  will  now 
determine  carefully  the  quarters  of  each  department 
and  the  location  of  each  class. 

Meanwhile  the  teachers  should  be  instructed  as  re- 
gards the  nature  and  use  of  the  graded  lessons  if  these 
have  not  been  used  before.  The  new  lesson  material 
should  be  in  hand  and  ready  for  distribution  on  the 
day  assigned. 

When  all  things  are  thus  carefully  arranged,  the 
members  of  the  school  will,  on  a  given  Sunday,  be 
asked  to  take  their  places,  first,  by  departments,  and 
then  by  classes,  in  the  rooms  or  spaces  assigned  in 
advance.  The  whole  process  may  be  so  quiet  and 
orderly  that  a  stranger  might  scarcely  observe  that 
anything  unusual  was  happening.  The  author  saw 
it  so  done  on  at  least  one  memorable  occasion. 

When  shall  we  grade  the  school  ? 

The  graded  lessons  are  dated  to  begin  the  year 
with  the  first  Sunday  in  October.  This,  for  many 
reasons,  is  a  good  time  to  grade  the  school.  Inas- 
much as  the  graded  lessons  are  published  in  quarterly 
installments,  the  school  may  be  graded  and  the  lessons 
introduced  at  the  first  of  any  quarter,  or  preferably 


Studies  in  Grading  43 

the  Sunday  preceding  the  opening  of  the  quarter. 
Whenever  the  school  is  graded,  the  last  Sunday  in 
September  should  be  agreed  upon  as  promotion  day. 

How  shall  the  school  be  kept  graded  ? 

This  is  a  vital  question.  Here  frequent  difficulties 
arise  in  the  effort  to  conduct  a  graded  school.  The 
officers  and  teachers  do  not  always  have  a  feeling  for 
the  grades,  or  an  intelligent  and  deep-seated  convic- 
tion of  the  necessity  for  preserving  the  grade  and 
department  lines.  Three  things  seem  to  be  nec- 
essary here:  (i)  New  pupils  must  be  assigned  to  their 
proper  grades ;  (2)  all  pupils  must  be  promoted  an- 
nually ;  and  (3)  occasionally  the  organization  must 
be  carefully  overhauled  and  lines  clearly  drawn  be- 
tween departments  and  departments  and  between 
grades  and  grades. 

The  superintendent  may  contribute  to  the  break- 
ing down  of  grading  in  many  effective  ways.  He 
may  ignore  the  department  lines ;  he  may  fail  to  use 
graded  school  terminology  ;  he  may  overlook  the  use 
of  many  lessons  and,  because  the  adults  are  studying 
the  Uniform  Lessons,  he  may  make  those  lessons  the 
basis  of  his  program  work  and  of  his  remarks  to  the 
school.  The  secretary  can  also  help  to  destroy  the 
grading.  He  may  fail  to  use  graded  school  termi- 
nology in  his  reports ;  he  may  fail  to  emphasize  de- 
partment Hues  in  his  reports;  he  may  fail  to  handle 
the  graded  lesson  material  promptly  and  intelligently. 

What  as  to  departmental  programs  and  zvorship  ? 

Shall  the  whole  school  assemble  together  for  the 
opening  and  closing  worship,  or  shall  such  depart- 


4-4         The  Present-Day  Sunday  School 

meats  as  have  their  own  rooms  conduct  their  own 
opening  and  closing  worship?  These  are  difficult 
questions,  and  questions  upon  which  there  is  wide 
difference  of  feeling  among  experienced  Sunday- 
school  workers. 

The  author  is  free  to  say  that  there  was  a  time 
when  he  favored  the  policy  of  having  the  whole 
school  to  assemble  for  both  opening  and  closing 
exercises.  A  chief  reason  for  his  position  was  the 
feeling  that  worship  in  its  best  development  called  for 
an  assembly  of  all  the  people  by  families  to  present 
themselves  before  Jehovah.  But  there  is  no  special 
call  for  such  assemblage  in  two  services  one  of  which 
follows  the  other.  During  the  preaching  hour  we 
have  just  such  an  assemblage  of  all  the  people  by 
families.  Possibly  the  fact  that  the  Sunday  school  so 
nearly  imitates,  in  its  program,  the  preaching  service, 
helps  to  account  for  the  growing  disposition  of  the 
Sunday-school  pupils  to  absent  themselves  from  the 
preaching  service. 

There  seem  to  be  good  reasons,  pedagogically  and 
otherwise,  for  permitting  the  departments  which  have 
their  own  quarters  to  conduct  their  opening  and 
closing  worship.  This  is  especially  true  of  the  Be- 
ginners' and  Primary  Departments.  If  there  is  seri- 
ous question,  a  happy  compromise  would  be  to  agree 
that  the  departments  shall  conduct  their  own  closing 
worship  after  having  been  with  the  main  school  in 
the  opening  session.  On  special  occasions,  and  very 
occasionally,  the  whole  school  may  assemble  together 
for  the  entire  hour. 


Studies  in  Grading  45 

What  as  to  the  teachers'  meeting  ? 

With  the  introduction  of  the  graded  lessons,  a 
question  arises  regarding  the  old-time  teachers' 
meeting  which  had  as  one  of  its  objects  the  study  of 
the  next  Sunday's  lesson.  Where  each  grade  has  its 
own  lessons,  there  is,  of  course,  no  common  lesson 
to  be  studied. 

Several  things  may  be  said  in  this  connection.  The 
point  involved  is  the  convenience  to  the  teacher  of 
having  a  dissertation,  or  possibly  real  help,  at  some 
hour  during  the  week  in  preparation  for  teaching 
next  Sunday.  A  chief  reason  for  the  teacher's  need 
of  such  help  has  been  in  the  necessity  of  teaching 
lessons  which  were  not  adapted  to  his  class.  A 
sufficient  answer  to  the  question  raised  lies  in  the 
fact  that,  with  properly  selected  and  adapted  lessons, 
the  teacher's  difficulty  is  much  lessened  and  that  he 
can  more  easily  make  his  own  necessary  preparation. 
Imagine,  for  example,  a  Beginners'  teacher  looking 
to  the  pastor  or  some  other  instructor  for  help  in 
preparing  to  teach  her  little  people  the  lesson  on  the 
Baby  Moses.  Or  imagine  a  Primary  teacher  depend- 
ing on  some  man  to  help  her  prepare  for  her  children 
the  lesson  on  the  Child  Samuel. 

The  case  really  reduces  itself  to  this — which  should 
determine  the  choice  of  lesson  material,  the  conve- 
nience of  the  teachers  or  the  needs  of  the  pupils  ? 
Workers  who  would  place  their  own  convenience 
before  the  needs  of  their  growing  pupils  ought  not  to 
be  teachers  in  the  Sunday  school.  Are  there  not 
other  ways  than  the  study  of  next  Sunday's  lesson  to 


46         The  Present-Day  Sunday  School 

make  the  weekly  teachers'  meeting  worth  while? 
Why  not  spend  half  of  the  time  in  the  study  of  some 
teacher-training  text-book  and  during  the  remaining 
time  break  up  into  departmental  conferences  in  which 
the  workers  may  confer  as  regards  their  common 
problems,  or  have  some  one  teach  the  graded  lessons 
by  turns  ?  Where  things  are  really  doing  in  the 
Sunday  school,  and  workers  are  facing  living  prob- 
lems, it  cannot  be  difficult  for  the  thoughtful  pastor 
and  superintendent  to  devise  plans  for  a  profitable 
weekly  meeting  of  the  officers  and  teachers. 

There  are  difficulties  and  problems  involved  in 
conducting  a  graded  school.  Time  and  patience 
are  required  in  order  to  adjust  to  the  new  regime. 
Years  may  elapse  before  we  walk  as  confidently  and 
comfortably  in  the  new  harness  as  we  have  walked  in 
that  to  which  we  have  been  long  accustomed.  Faith- 
ful care  and  earnest  prayer  will  be  necessary,  lest  in 
our  thought  for  details  and  our  attention  to  new 
problems  we  suffer  our  spiritual  ardor  to  be  cooled 
and  lose  the  keenness  of  our  desire  for  the  best  and 
richest  spiritual  growth  of  those  intrusted  to  us. 


V 
SOME  ADVANTAGES  IN  GRADING 

GRADING  in  the  Sunday  school  is  no  longer 
a  theory.  The  principle  of  grading  was  so 
natural,  and  the  plea  for  grading  so  conclu- 
sive, that  literally  thousands  of  schools  in  every  part 
of  the  land  have  adopted  grading  as  the  method  of 
organization. 

Thus,  grading  has  been  tried  under  varying  con- 
ditions and  for  a  sufficient  length  of  time  for  us  to  be 
able  to  determine  definitely  what  results  may  be 
expected.  We  can  indicate  only  a  few  of  these 
demonstrated  results. 

Grading  has  helped  to  solve  the  problem  of  order 
in  the  Sunday  school.  Orderliness  in  arrangement 
makes  for  order  in  deportment.  When  classes  are 
of  proper  size  and  composed  of  proper  groups,  and 
these  in  turn  are  so  related  as  to  form  larger  depart- 
mental groups,  the  tendency  to  disorder,  once  so 
manifest  in  our  schools  and  the  source  of  so  much 
distress,  is  materially  diminished.  Nor  is  this  a 
matter  of  theory.  It  accords  with  the  witness  of 
practical  Sunday-school  workers  everywhere.  Sun- 
day-school field  workers  of  wide  experience  observe 
that,  in  round-table  discussions  where  teachers  and 
local  workers  indicate  their  difficulties,  the  old  ques* 

47 


48  The  Present-Day  Sunday  School 

tion,  *'  How  can  we  keep  order  ? "  is  much  less 
frequently  asked  than  formerly.  Indeed  the  question 
is  rarely  raised  at  all  by  workers  in  thoroughly  graded 
schools. 

The  better  order  which  we  seem  now  to  experience 
may  be  partially  due  to  the  fact  that  we  have  learned 
that  good  order  and  "  keeping  still "  are  not  neces- 
sarily one  and  the  same  thing.  We  do  not  any 
longer  make  the  impossible  request  of  our  little 
people  that  they  keep  still.  We  purposely  plan 
recreational  drills  and  marches  for  them.  So  far 
from  asking  or  expecting  that  they  shall  keep  still, 
we  plan  for  them  to  move  and  make  noises.  Rever- 
ence and  stillness  are  not  necessarily  synonymous 
terms.  Ours  is  a  school  which  deals  with  lives,  and 
which  looks  towards  normal  development,  and  not 
towards  abnormal  repression. 

But  the  witness  of  many  workers  declares  that 
grading  has  helped  in  real  ways  to  solve  the  problem 
of  order  in  the  Sunday  school,  and  their  witness  is 
strengthened  by  the  truism  that  good  organization 
tends  towards  good  order. 

Grading  has  brought  enlargement.  Certainly, 
grading  our  pupils  does  not  automatically  increase 
their  number,  but  grading  them  does  open  the  way 
for  such  increase.  This  is  in  line  with  what  we 
should  expect,  and  is  verified  by  wide  Sunday-school 
experience. 

Our  schools  grow  by  efforts  and  influences  which 
emanate  within  them.  In  a  word,  present  pupils  are 
the  best  means  of  securing  new  pupils.     Grading  the 


Studies  in  Grading  49 

school  grades  and  makes  definite  the  efforts  for  in- 
creased attendance.  •'  Everybody  bring  somebody  " 
was  the  old  and  ineffectual  method.  "  Let  the 
Beginners  bring  Beginners,"  "  Let  the  Primaries 
build  up  their  department,"  is  at  present  the  order 
of  the  day.  A  general  census  reveals  the  possibilities, 
and  the  several  departments  and  classes  do  the  rest. 
By  common  agreement,  the  one  outstanding  method 
of  securing  new  pupils  for  the  Sunday  school  is  the 
religious  census  followed  by  departmental  and  class 
effort. 

The  really  large  schools  are  all  graded  schools.  It 
is  not  uncommon  to  hear  of  schools  which  number 
into  the  thousands ;  indeed  it  is  getting  to  be  almost 
as  common  to  hear  of  schools  which  number  into  the 
thousands  as  it  was  formerly  to  hear  of  schools  which 
numbered  into  the  hundreds.  Schools  of  such  large 
numbers  could  not  be  built  up  without  grading,  and 
if  it  were  possible  to  build  them  up  it  would  not  be 
possible  to  manage  them  with  effectiveness. 

Grading  has  led  to  increased  equipment.  Here 
again  the  expected  has  come  to  pass.  The  group- 
ing of  our  pupils  into  departments  has  led  to  an  in- 
sistent demand  for  special  departmental  rooms.  The 
great  Sunday-school  buildings,  of  which  we  hear  on 
every  hand,  came  as  the  direct  result  of  grading. 
While  these  hnes  are  being  written,  there  comes 
news  of  a  Sunday-school  house  just  completed  with 
assembly  rooms  for  each  department,  with  thirty-six 
special  class  rooms,  with  pianos,  blackboards,  electric 
bell    system,    indeed,    every    modern    convenience. 


50  The  Present-Day  Sunday  School 

Such  a  building  ten  years  ago  would  have  been  as 
impossible  as  it  would  have  been  unnecessary.  Grad- 
ing develops  the  need  for  rooms  and  equipment, 
grading  provides  the  special  pleaders  for  equipment 
— it  is  not  too  much  to  say  that  the  modern  move- 
ment for  graded  organization  has  opened  the  way  for 
the  remarkable  developments  in  equipment  and  archi- 
tecture which  mark  our  modern  Sunday-school  life. 

Grading  has  paved  the  way  for  accurate  and  scien- 
tific study  of  pupil-life.  Our  plans  for  grading,  and 
the  practical  working  out  of  these  plans  in  multitudes 
of  schools,  has  in  a  powerful  way,  perhaps  not  other- 
wise possible,  impressed  upon  our  people  the  fact 
that  unfolding  hfe  falls  into  distinct  periods,  each  of 
which  calls  for  distinct  treatment  and  special  in- 
struction. The  increasing  intelligence  of  parents  and 
teachers  concerning  these  great  life  periods,  concern- 
ing the  differing  types  of  pupil-life,  concerning  the 
Bible  material  suited  to  meet  the  needs  of  the  vary- 
ing life  stages,  is  of  inestimable  value,  and  puts 
Sunday-school  work  on  planes  which  could  hardly 
have  been  imagined  a  few  years  ago.  The  workers 
are  now  legion  who  can  describe  accurately  the  life 
periods  and  who  can,  with  equal  accuracy,  tell  of  the 
Bible  teaching  which  is  adapted  to  each  division. 
They  know,  or  they  are  beginning  to  know,  how  to 
present  this  varying  Bible  material  in  a  way  to  offer 
the  specially  needed  spiritual  food.  It  is  not  difficult 
to  see  that  grading  has  made  direct  and  important 
contribution  to  this  significant  development. 

Grading  has  paved  the  way  for  better  teaching. 


Studies  in  Grading  51 

This  has,  of  course,  been  hinted  at  in  all  that  has 
been  said.  Better  order,  enlarged  attendance,  in- 
creased equipment,  scientific  pupil-study,  these  all 
can  mean  but  one  thing,  more  and  better  teaching. 

Grading  has  meant  the  grading  of  teachers  as  well 
as  of  pupils.  Grading  the  school  has  opened  the  way 
to  a  study  of  teachers  with  a  view  to  determine 
whether  they  were  rightly  placed.  Many  faithful 
teachers  have  failed  because  they  were  not  rightly 
fitted  into  the  work.  One  adapted  to  Primary  work 
and  capable  of  large  usefulness  in  that  department 
has  failed  because  somehow  she  has  found  a  place  in 
the  Senior  Department.  A  young  man  who  would 
do  excellent  work  with  Junior  boys  has  failed  because 
he  was  put  to  teach  young  men.  And  thus  the  story 
goes. 

A  pastor  bears  this  significant  testimony.  He 
knew  vaguely  that  among  his  teaching  force  he  had 
many  round  pegs  in  square  holes.  He  did  not  see 
how  the  situation  could  be  remedied  and  his  workers 
rearranged.  When  the  school  was  graded,  the  prob- 
lem was  easily  solved.  The  whole  question  of  placing 
teachers  and  officers  was  open.  A  careful  study  of 
the  teachers,  earnest  conferences  with  them  as  to 
their  preferences,  resulted  in  such  rearrangement  of 
the  teaching  force  as  relieved  many  points  of  diffi- 
culty and  immensely  increased  the  efficiency  of  the 
school.  One  worker,  utterly  incompetent  and  un- 
suitable as  a  teacher,  became  an  efficient  department 
secretary.  In  a  word,  the  workers  who  had  originally 
taken  their  places   in  haphazard  fashion  were  now 


52  The  Present-Day  Sunday  School 

placed  with  painstaking  care.  These  rearrangements 
were  made  in  the  process  of  grading  and  reorganiza- 
tion, but  similar  changes  can  be  made  with  compara- 
tive ease  in  any  graded  school,  whereas  they  might 
be  practically  impossible  in  the  old  ungraded  order. 

Grading  has,  of  course,  made  largest  contribution 
to  good  teaching  by  opening  the  way  for  the  use 
of  graded  lessons,  the  selection  of  Bible  material 
especially  adapted  to  the  pupils  to  be  taught.  In- 
deed, the  demand  for  such  lessons  and  such  teaching 
was  a  prime  element  in  the  movement  for  grading. 
Many  schools  have  passed  on  to  the  exclusive  use 
of  graded  lessons.  A  yet  larger  number  of  schools 
use  graded  lessons  in  the  elementary  departments. 
In  the  construction  of  what  we  have  come  to  know 
as  the  Uniform  Lessons,  the  principle  of  grading  is 
to  be  more  fully  recognized  and  these  lessons  promise 
to  become  in  some  real  sense  graded  lessons. 

Grading  paves  the  way  and  creates  demand  for  the 
graded  workers'  library.  The  Sunday-school  library 
has  long  been  a  means  of  useful  service  to  the  com- 
munity. The  type  of  books  supplied  has  not  always 
been  above  criticism,  though  it  must  be  admitted 
that,  in  general,  the  books  selected  have  not  been 
beneath  the  average  of  the  character  and  teaching 
of  the  schools  themselves.  The  development  and 
growth  of  public  libraries  of  various  kinds  has  had 
inevitable  bearing  on  the  Sunday-school  library. 
Many  of  the  public  libraries,  desirous  to  minister  in 
the  largest  way  to  the  needs  of  the  whole  community, 
are   quite  willing   to   supply  books  which  may  be 


Studies  in  Grading  j'q 

suggested  by  pastors,  superintendents  and  teachers. 
Under  proper  conditions,  the  pubUc  hbrary  may  be 
induced  to  send  suppHes  of  books  at  certain  intervals 
to  the  Sunday  school  for  distribution  among  its  pupils. 

Whatever  may  be  the  future  of  the  general  Sun- 
day-school hbrary,  and  the  author  frankly  believes 
that  there  will  always  be  a  place  of  usefulness  for  such 
library,  there  can  be  no  question  regarding  the  value 
of  a  graded  workers'  library.  Books  are  coming  from 
the  press  with  amazing  rapidity,  touching  every  de- 
partment and  every  phase  of  Sunday-school  work. 
Teachers  and  officers  must  have  these  books.  But 
many  choice  workers  are  not  able  to  buy  them.  It 
is  not  fair  or  just  to  ask  the  workers  to  purchase 
these  books  for  themselves.  The  church  ought  to 
supply  these  books,  and  when  the  question  is  prop- 
erly presented  the  church  can  usually  be  easily  in- 
duced to  meet  this  need.  A  half  dozen  books  for 
workers  in  each  of  the  eight  departments  of  the  Sun- 
day school,  with  two  or  three  dozen  selected  general 
volumes  on  various  phases  of  religious  education, 
could  be  purchased  for  a  comparatively  small  sum, 
and  such  selection  of  books  would  make  a  good 
nucleus  which  might  be  indefinitely  increased.  It  is 
to  be  doubted  whether  a  similar  investment  anywhere 
else  in  the  realm  of  Sunday-school  equipment  will 
bear  so  large  fruitage  as  this  investment  in  selected 
books  for  the  workers  in  the  school. 

Finally,  grading  the  Sunday  school  contributes 
directly  to  accurate  and  painstaking  evangelistic 
efforts.     In  the  ungraded  school  it  is  somewhat  diffi- 


54  The  Present-Day  Sunday  School 

cult  to  locate  the  lost  pupils,  and  graded  evangelistic 
appeals  are  not  practicable.  We  have  defined  clearly 
what  we  may  expect  in  the  way  of  evangelistic  effort 
and  results  in  each  of  the  departments.  The  annual 
promotion  of  the  pupils  brings  up  this  question  of 
evangelism  at  intervals  and  seems  to  challenge  work- 
ers to  faithful  effort  in  seeking  the  salvation  of  the 
pupil  who  is  making  rapid  strides  towards  the  life 
periods  in  which  conversion  is  increasingly  difficult. 
The  various  departments  offer  to  the  pastor  or 
superintendent  the  opportunity  to  present  just  the 
instruction  and  appeal  which  is  appropriate  for  that 
particular  section  of  the  school. 

Many  grateful  workers  bear  witness  to  the  valued 
help  which  has  come  to  them  in  their  evangelistic 
efforts  through  the  grading  and  departmentizing  of 
the  Sunday  school. 


Studies  in  the  Departments 

VI 
THE  CRADLE  ROLL 

THE  Cradle  Roll  ministers  to  the  needs  of 
children  from  birth  to  about  three  years 
of  age,  and  seeks  to  bring  the  blessings  of 
the  church  to  the  homes  in  which  these  little  ones 
live. 

About  3,000,000  babies  come  annually  into  North 
American  homes.  The  world's  average  birth  rate  is 
said  to  be  70  a  minute,  4,200  an  hour,  36,792,000  a 
year. 

The  Cradle  Roll  is  the  medium  through  which  the 
church  extends  loving  and  helpful  ministry  to  the 
homes  where  the  children  are  to  be  found.  The 
object  in  view  is  not  simply  to  secure  the  child  for  the 
Sunday  school  when  he  is  old  enough  to  attend ;  it 
is  not  merely  a  sentimental  expression  of  interest  in 
babies  ;  it  is  a  needed  and  practical  effort  to  influence 
the  home  during  a  period  when  parental  hearts  are 
especially  approachable  and  when  parents  may  be 
kept  away  from  public  worship.  The  forms  which 
this  ministry  may  take  are  many  and  blessed.  The 
denominational  publishing  houses  furnish  a  variety 
of  helpful  leaflet  literature. 

55 


56         The  Present-Day  Sunday  School 

These  houses  furnish  also  all  necessary  Cradle  RoU 
supplies,  such  as  the  beautiful  wall  roll  for  the  names 
of  the  babies,  membership,  birthday,  and  other  needed, 
cards  and  certificates.  "  A  birthday  book  by  months, 
a  calling  book  by  streets,  and  a  membership  book 
alphabetically  arranged,  will  simplify  the  records  of  a 
large  Cradle  Roll.  Promptness  and  regularity  in  de- 
tails are  essential." 

It  is,  of  course,  impossible  to  secure  accurate 
statistics  showing  the  status  of  Cradle  Roll  work. 
Mrs.  Mary  Foster  Bryner,  writing  in  1914,  states  that 
"the  present  enrollment  is  over  1,000,000  in  more 
than  44,000  Cradle  Rolls."  According  to  Mrs. 
Bryner  the  five  largest  Cradle  Rolls  reported  during 
191 3-1914  were:  * 

St.  Paul's  Church,  Halifax,  N.  S 865 

First  Christian  Church,  Portsmouth,  Ohio  ....  800 
Earlscourt  Methodist  Church,  Toronto,  Ontario  .  .  743 
Grand  Avenue  Methodist,  Milwaukee,  Wisconsin  617 
First  M.  E.  Church,  Brazil,  Indiana 453 

We  can  only  indicate  briefly  some  of  the  lines  of 
service  which  lie  open  to  Cradle  Roll  workers. 

(i)  They  may  aid  the  pastor  in  securing  the 
needed  oversight  and  shepherding  of  homes  in  the 
congregation.  The  wise  pastor  sees,  in  the  Cradle 
Roll,  the  Home  Department,  and  similar  agencies,  a 
source  of  relief  in  the  ever-increasing  pressure  of 
modern  pastoral  life. 

(2)     The  Cradle  Roll  workers  may  carry  needed 

» Article  on  Cradle  Roll,  "  Encyclopedia  of  Sunday  Schools  and 
Religious  Education,"  page  313. 


Studies  in  the  Departments  57 

instruction  to  young  parents  as  regards  the  care  and 
training  of  young  children.     From  the  ftist  day  of 
the  child's  life,  he  begins  to  form  habits  both  physical 
and   mental    which    will   affect   all   the   later   years. 
During  this  infantile  period,  before  the  child  comes 
into  the  Sunday  school,  there  is  a  development  of 
interests  and  a  bent  given  to  character  which  is  be- 
yond words.     Among  the  most  interesting  of  the  ex- 
periments and  discoveries  made  by  modern  students 
of  child   life  are  those  relating  to  budding  instincts 
and  the  baneful  effects  in  case  natural  instincts  are 
repelled  and  thwarted.     As  always  in  such  cases  they 
have  begun  their  experiments  with  lower  animals. 
Bagley  and  Colvin  point  out  the  interesting  fact  that 
a  young  perch  placed  in  a  vessel  of  clear  water  con- 
taining   small    minnows    instinctively   darts    at   the 
minnows  and  devours  them.     This  is  true  whether 
or  not  the  perch  ever  saw  minnows  before.     If  be- 
tween the  perch  and  the  minnows  a  glass  partition  is 
set  in  place,  the  perch  still  for  a  time  follows  the  in- 
stinct   to    dart    at    his    natural    prey.      Constantly 
thwarted  and  suffering  pain  in  the  attempt,  the  perch 
will  gradually  cease  his  efforts.     If  the  glass  is  re- 
moved, it  will   still   refrain    from   attack   upon   the 
minnows.     The  instinct  has  perished  because  it  has 
been  thwarted. 

It  is  pointed  out  that  a  chick,  raised  on  tin,  or 
some  solid  surface,  where  it  cannot  indulge  its  native 
instinct  to  scratch,  will  quickly  lose  the  instinct  and 
will  not  later  in  any  natural  way  develop  it.  Prof. 
Walter  S.  Athearn  quotes  Spalding  as  telHng  of  a 


58         The  Present-Day  Sunday  School 

gosling  brought  up  in  a  house  away  from  all  water. 
When  it  was  taken  to  water  it  refused  to  go  in,  and 
when  thrust  in  it  made  haste  to  scramble  out  again. 
The  native  instinct  for  water  and  for  swimming  had 
perished  from  disuse.  It  is  well  known  that  young 
dogs,  if  prevented  from  indulging  the  instinct  to  bury 
bones,  will  soon  lose  the  instinct  altogether. 

The  important  lesson  thus  illustrated  is  that  little 
children  have  budding  instincts,  the  best  gifts  of  a 
kind  heavenly  Father,  which,  if  repelled  or  neglected, 
may  perish.  The  holiest  of  all  tasks  of  young  parents 
is  to  guide  and  nurture  and  develop  the  fine  native 
impulses  to  kindness,  reverence,  obedience,  faith,  and 
prayer,  which  will  enrich  life  and  character  in  all  the 
coming  years.  Cradle  Roll  workers  may  render  an 
inestimable  service  by  helping  parents  in  their  study 
of  these  problems  and  by  guiding  them  through 
helpful  literature,  through  lecture  courses,  conferences 
and  parents'  meetings. 

(3)  The  Cradle  Roll  workers  may,  in  tactful  ways, 
aid  the  home  in  the  solution  of  many  practical  prob- 
lems. What  pictures  on  the  wall  or  in  the  hand 
will  please  and  bless  little  children  ?  What  are  suit- 
able prayers  for  the  little  ones  ?  What  stories  are  to 
be  told  to  the  httle  children  and  where  may  such 
stories  be  found  ?  How  shall  the  religious  life  of  the 
growing  child  be  nurtured  ?  These  and  multitudes 
of  similar  questions  are  being  asked  in  every  home 
where  there  are  little  children.  The  pastor  and  the 
church  may  extend  practical  help  through  the  Cradle 
Roll.     Through  this  medium  the  church  may  send  its 


Studies  in  the  Departments  59 

messages  and  teach  its  lessons  concerning  the  vital 
importance  in  character  building  of  the  Cradle  Roll 
years.  How  much  and  how  rapidly  the  little  child 
learns  I  We  are  told  that  the  child  learns  more  in  its 
first  two  years  than  in  any  other  ten  years  of  its  life. 
*'  When  a  small  child  falls  and  hurts  himself,  do  we 
not  frequently  hear  the  nurse  trying  to  distract  his 
attention  from  his  own  injury  by  arousing  his  sense 
of  anger  towards  the  object  which  has  been  the  cause 
of  his  hurt?  *  Naughty  floor  to  hurt  baby.  Nurse 
will  slap  the  naughty  floor.'  The  baby  begins  to 
forget  his  hurt  in  his  interest  in  what  is  being  said. 
'  Baby  hit  the  naughty  floor  himself,'  suggests  Nurse. 
It  is  extraordinary,  when  we  come  to  think  about  it, 
how  frequently  the  small  child  is  taught  self-control 
in  these  early  days  by  this  method  of  revenge — a 
method  which  is  untrue  in  itself  and  also  calls  out 
undesirable  instincts  in  the  child.  It  hardly  seems 
necessary  to  criticize  such  a  method  in  detail ;  to 
refer  to  it  at  all  in  this  connection  is  enough  to  ex- 
pose not  only  its  weakness,  but  also  its  harm."  * 

(4)  Especially  should  the  Cradle  Roll  workers 
master  the  question  of  nursery  plays  and  the  general 
questions  of  nursery  equipment.  Play,  which  was 
formerly  considered  a  more  or  less  harmless  method 
of  working  off  surplus  energy,  has,  in  these  latter  days, 
come  to  be  recognized  as  an  educational  factor  of  the 
first  moment.  "  The  thing  that  most  needs  to  be 
understood  about  play  is  that  it  is  not  a  luxury  but  a 
necessity.  It  is  not  simply  something  that  a  child 
» Edith  E.  Read  Mumford,  "  The  Dawn  of  Character,"  page  79. 


6o  The  Present-Day  Sunday  School 

likes  to  have ;  it  is  something  that  he  must  have  if 
he  is  to  grow  up.  It  is  more  than  an  essential  part 
of  his  education  ;  it  is  the  law  of  his  growth,  of  the 
process  by  which  he  becomes  a  man  at  all."  * 

(5)  The  aim  of  the  Cradle  Roll,  as  of  all  other 
departments  of  Bible-school  work,  is  to  draw  towards 
God  and  to  make  some  practical  contribution  to  the 
spiritual  life  of  the  home. 

A  young  surgeon,  whose  name  is  coming  to  be 
known  beyond  the  borders  of  his  own  state,  was 
swept  with  interest  in  his  profession,  and  was  drifting 
away  from  church  life.  He  walked  into  the  pastor's 
study  one  day  and  said,  "  What  is  this  which 
they  call  the  Cradle  Roll  ?  This  has  come  along 
since  my  Sunday-school  days."  Desirous  of  know- 
ing what  was  in  the  mind  of  his  visitor,  the  pastor 
said, "  Well,  what  of  it,  what  do  you  know  about  it?  " 
Then  the  young  professional  man  told  a  simple  story 
which  might  be  duplicated  many  times  over.  "  I 
know  this  about  it.  A  while  ago  the  baby  came 
to  my  home.  The  little  fellow  seemed  to  be  a  gift 
from  God  and  my  heart  was  filled  with  a  sacred 
reverence  and  a  tenderness  which  I  had  not  felt 
before.  Your  Cradle  Roll  women  came  down  to  my 
home  and  said  they  wanted  the  baby's  name  to  put 
on  the  Cradle  Roll  of  the  church — they  would  pray 
for  the  baby  every  day  and  remember  him  in  sick- 
ness and  on  his  birthdays.  Sometimes  when  I  drive 
by  your  church,  I  slow  down  a  bit  and  say  to  myself, 

*  Joseph  Lee,  in  "The  Encyclopedia  of  Sunday  Schools  and  Re- 
ligious Education,"  page  799. 


Studies  in  the  Departments  6l 

*  My  baby's  name  is  on  the  walls  of  that  church 
somewhere,  and  those  people  pray  for  my  baby  every 
day.'  Well,  pastor,  not  to  detain  you  further,  I  have 
forgotten  God  and  have  wandered  far  from  the 
church.  I  just  dropped  in  this  morning  to  say  that 
I  renew  my  vows  and  promise  anew  to  live  the  Chris- 
tian life." 

A  young  father  and  mother  came  one  Sunday 
morning  to  unite  with  the  church.  The  mother 
carried  a  babe  in  her  arms.  A  few  days  later,  the 
pastor  called  at  the  man's  business  place.  "  I  would 
like  to  know,"  he  said,  "  how  you  and  your  wife 
were  led  to  become  Christians.  I  have  often  thought 
of  you  and  have  prayed  that  you  might  be  saved, 
but  somehow  I  had  not  seemed  to  find  the  oppor- 
tunity to  speak  to  you  on  the  great  question."  Then 
came  the  story  simply  told  :  the  man  had  been  im- 
mersed in  business  and  his  wife  had  been  drawn 
away  into  worldliness  ;  when  the  baby  came  the  Cradle 
Roll  workers  had  come  to  the  home  and  by  prayer 
and  conversation  had  interested  the  mother  in  holy 
things.  One  day  when  the  man  went  home,  his  wife 
met  him  at  the  door,  told  how  with  the  guidance 
and  help  of  the  Cradle  Roll  women  she  had  sought 
forgiveness  and  light,  and  then  they  knelt  together 
beside  the  sleeping  babe  while  he  too  sought  God's 
favor. 

The  Sunday-School  Council  of  Evangelical  De- 
nominations has  adopted  and  the  Executive  Com- 
mittee of  the  International  Sunday-School  Associa- 
tion has  approved  the  following  : 


62         The  Present- Day  Sunday  School 

Standard  for  the  Cradle  Roll 

The  church  and  Sunday  school  may  assist  in  the 
religious  nurture  of  little  children  in  the  home  and 
insure  their  future  membership  in  the  Sunday  school. 
To  this  end,  it  is  desirable  : 

1.  To  keep  in  touch  with  the  children  and  parents, 

by: 

(a)  Organizing  a  Cradle  Roll  of  children  from 

birth  to  three  or  four  years  of  age,  with 
a  superintendent  and  any  needed  as- 
sistants. 

(b)  Recognition  of  membership  in  the  Sunday 

school,  a  public  roll  and  an  accurate, 
permanent  record  of  names,  birthdays, 
parents'  names  and  addresses. 

(c)  Public  promotion  not  later  than  the  fourth 

birthday  to  the  Beginners'  class  or  de- 
partment. 

2.  To  make  definite  provision  for  the  child's  early 

religious  nurture,  by  : 

(a)  Suggesting  to  parents  appropriate  stories, 

prayers,  songs  or  simple  lessons  pre- 
paratory to  the  Beginners'  Lessons,  and 
furnishing  helpful  literature  when  nec- 
essary. 

(b)  Furnishing    appropriate   and  simple  pre- 

liminary instruction  and  a  sympathetic 
teacher  for  the  Cradle  Roll  Class,  if 
there  is  one  in  the  Beginners'  Depart- 
ment. 

(c)  Mothers'  or  Parents'  Meeting  or  Classes, 

in  which  topics  concerning  the  early 
training  of  children  shall  be  considered, 
and  by  providing  a  home  hbrary  for 
their  use. 


Studies  in  the  Departments  63 

3.     To  provide  for  social  contact  between  Sunday 
school  and  home,  by  : 

(a)  Visits,  messages  and  invitations  for  special 

days. 

(b)  Recognition  of  birthdays. 

(c)  A  Cradle  Roll  Day  annually. 

(d)  An  occasional  social  affair  for  parents  and 

children. 

References  : 

Sudlow,  "The  Cradle  Roll  Department."     35  cents. 
Mumford,  "  The  Dawn  of  Character."     $  i .  20. 
Israels,  "  The  Child."     (Offered  free  by  the  Metropolitan 
Life  Insurance  Company,  New  York.) 

The  following  books  will  be  helpful  for  those  wish- 
ing to  make  a  general  study  of  pupil  life  and  of  the 
teaching  process  : 

Kirkpatrick,  "  Fundamentals  of  Child  Study."     ^1.25. 

Weigle,  **  The  Pupil  and  the  Teacher."     60  cents. 

Forbush,  "  Child  Study  and  Child  Training."     ^i.oo. 

Athearn,  "The  Church  School."     $1.00. 

Gregory,  "The  Seven  Laws  of  Teaching."      50  cents. 

Trumbull,  "Teaching  and  Teachers."     $1.25. 

Weaver,  "The  Religious  Developmentof  the  Child."  $1.25. 

Home,  "The  Philosophy  of  Education."    $1.50. 

Nelson's  "  Encyclopedia  of  Sunday  Schools  and  Rehgious 
Education."     3  vols.     $15.00. 

Leavell,  "  The  New  Convention  Normal  Manual " 
(Division  II).     50  cents. 


VII 

THE  BEGINNERS'  DEPARTMENT 


"^HE  Beginners'  Department  includes  pupils 
four  and  five  years  of  age. 

The  Beginners'  Pupil. — The  Beginners 
constitute  a  distinct  group  in  the  Sunday  school. 
They  need  special  care  and  training ;  and  this  care 
and  training,  in  order  to  be  effective,  must  be  pains- 
taking and  intelligent. 

(i)  As  is  implied  in  his  name,  the  Beginner  is 
really  a  beginner.  He  is  beginning  to  find  himself 
in  the  larger  world.  Hitherto  the  home  has  been  his 
world ;  now  he  is  moving  in  Vv^ider  circles.  He  is 
possibly  going  to  the  kindergarten ;  he  is  making 
excursions,  sometimes  alone  and  sometimes  under 
proper  escort,  into  streets  and  avenues  and  roads 
which  once  lay  beyond  his  world.  He  is  entering 
on  the  long  path  of  school  life,  a  little  timid  shrink- 
ing stranger,  sensitive  and  easily  frightened.  How 
little  he  knows,  how  small  his  stock  of  ideas  and  ex- 
periences, how  limited  his  vocabulary  !  Gentle  must 
be  the  hand  that  molds  these  tiny  sensitive  children ; 
patient  and  sympathetic  must  be  the  nature  which 
deals  with  them. 

(2)  The  Beginner  must  learn  chiefly  by  absorp- 
tion. His  whole  wondering  being  is  hungry.  This 
hunger  constitutes  the  teacher's  opportunity.     He  is 

64 


Studies  in  the  Departments  65 

now  impressionable  as  he  will  not  be  again  in  the 
later  years.  He  must  not  be  asked  or  expected  to 
memorize — that  will  come  in  due  time.  He  will 
learn,  but  without  conscious  effort.  Bits  of  Bible 
Verses  and  Bible  stories,  all  simplified  and  made  easy 
and  told  again  and  again,  these  will  furnish  nurture 
for  his  mind  and  heart.  Tints  in  the  walls,  tones  in 
the  voice,  atmosphere  and  environment,  these  with 
all  things  which  touch  the  child's  life  must  be  guarded 
with  sacred  care. 

(3)  The  Beginner  is  susceptible  of  real  education. 
The  growth  of  the  department  indicates  the  fuller  and 
more  intelligent  appreciation  of  the  educational  oppor- 
tunities offered  in  the  early  years  of  the  child's  life. 
Workers  in  this  department  must,  until  this  modern 
appreciation  comes  to  fuller  growth,  labor  under  the 
difificulty  of  feehng  that  their  work  is  hardly  rated  at 
its  full  value  by  the  general  church  community.  A 
right  estimate  of  the  importance  of  their  own  tasks, 
a  proper  emphasis  upon  the  work  they  are  doing, 
and  such  faithful  and  intelligent  service  as  will  bear 
fruit  in  the  lives  of  the  little  ones  entrusted  to  them, 
will  help  to  speed  the  day  when  this  department  will 
be  counted,  as  it  deserves  to  be,  one  of  deep  and  far- 
reaching  importance. 

Children  of  younger  years  who  may  chance  to 
come  with  older  brothers  and  sisters  are  not  to  be 
put  into  this  department  to  be  cared  for  or  enter- 
tained. The  workers  here  face  serious  tasks.  They 
may  play  some ;  they  may  entertain ;  the  casual 
observer  might  fail  to  note  the  deeper  purposes ;  but 


66         The  Present-Day  Sunday  School 

these  workers  are  serious,  and  they  are  engaged  in 
the  serious  business  of  laying  foundations  for  all 
future  moral  and  spiritual  development. 

Organization. — This  department  will  call  for  a 
superintendent,  who  will  have  general  charge ; 
teachers,  one  for  each  class  of  six  or  eight  pupils ; 
pianist,  as  the  department  should  have  its  own  piano ; 
secretary-treasurer.  If  the  department  is  large,  care- 
takers to  help  the  children  with  their  wraps,  and 
other  helpers  may  be  needed.  It  is  felt  that  young 
women  from  the  Senior  Department,  or  in  the  early 
adult  years,  make  especially  ready  and  responsive 
workers  with  Beginners,  and  that,  besides  rendering 
valuable  service,  these  young  women  may  at  the 
same  time  receive  training  for  future  and  larger  serv- 
ice in  dealing  with  children. 

Equipment. — The  comparative  newness  of  this 
department,  and  the  slowness  with  which  architec- 
tural changes  can  be  made,  account  for  the  fact  that 
so  few  suitable  and  special  rooms  are  equipped  for 
Beginners.  The  coming  years  promise  marked  im- 
provement here. 

It  is  every  way  desirable  that  the  Beginners  shall 
have  a  separate  room.  It  is  unfortunate  in  the  ex- 
treme that  these  little  ones  of  four  and  five  years 
must  so  often  be  placed  in  the  room  with  Primary 
children.  They  call  for  different  care  and  for  an 
entirely  different  program.  The  room  should,  of 
course,  be  easily  accessible,  as  for  tiny  little  bodies ; 
well-lighted,  with  low  windows,  with  softly  tinted 
walls,  beautiful  and  restful.     This  room  should  adjoin 


Studies  in  the  Departments  67 

the  Primary  room,  but  should  be  separated  from  it 
by  soHd  walls.  A  separate  cloak-room  with  ap- 
propriate furniture  is  needed  for  hats  and  wraps. 
Among  the  needed  furnishings  we  may  mention : 
(i)  A  piano.  The  type  of  music  needed  is  im- 
possible without  it,  and  the  children  will  need  it  for 
their  games  as  well  as  for  their  songs. 

(2)  Suitable  chairs  of  proper  height.  These  are 
not  expensive  and,  besides  pleasing  the  children,  are 
essential  to  the  best  work.  Chairs  for  children  four 
years  of  age  should  be  ten  inches  high,  while  those  for 
children  of  five  years  may  be  twelve  inches  in  height. 

(3)  Small  low  tables.  These  may  be  built  in  the 
form  of  an  open  square  so  that  the  teacher  may  con- 
veniently direct  the  work. 

(4)  Blackboards.  These  may  be  the  revolving 
boards  which  enable  the  superintendent  or  teacher  to 
prepare  work  which  is  to  be  shown  at  a  given  time ; 
or  perhaps  better,  they  may  be  built  into  the  wall 
and  brought  low  so  that,  when  occasion  arises,  the 
children  themselves  may  use  the  chalk. 

(5)  A  chest  or  box  for  the  various  materials  used 
in  the  department.  This  should  be  provided  with 
lock  and  key. 

(6)  Pictures.  Suitable  pictures  on  the  wall,  hung 
low  so  that  the  children  can  see  and  touch  them,  may 
be  educational  factors  of  no  mean  value.  The  fol- 
lowing, along  with  others,  may  be  regarded  as  ap- 
propriate :  The  Madonna  pictures,  especially  The 
Sistine  Madonna,  by  Raphael ;  The  Holy  Night,  by 
Corregio ;  and  The  Infant  Samuel,  by  Reynolds, 


68         The  Present-Day  Sunday  School 

Lesson  Material. — Happily  the  International  Les- 
son Committee  and  the  publishers  have  largely  solved 
this  problem  which  once  so  distressed  workers  in  this 
department.  The  Beginners'  Course  in  the  Inter- 
national Graded  Lessons  is  generally  acceptable  and 
is  widely  used.  Commencing  with  October,  it  takes 
account  of  the  year's  advancing  seasons  and  its 
festival  days.  The  Course  is  based  on  the  child's 
needs  as  determined  by  long  and  sympathetic  study. 
A  glance  at  the  themes  for  the  first  year  is  sufficient 
to  indicate  the  nature  of  these  lessons. 

Themes  for  the  First  Year 
I.     The  Heavenly  Father's  Care. 
II.     Thanksgiving  for  Care. 

III.  Thanksgiving  for  God's  Best  Gift. 

IV.  Love  Shown  Through  Care. 
V.     The  Loving  Care  of  Jesus. 

VI.     God's  Care  of  Life. 

VII.     Our  Part  in  the  Care  of  Flowers  and  Birds. 
VlII.     Duty  of  Loving  Obedience. 
IX.     Love  Shown  by  Prayer  and  Praise. 
X.     Love  Shown  by  Kindness  (to  Those  in  the 

Family  Circle). 
XI.     Love  Shown  by  Kindness  (to  Those  Out- 
side the  Family). 

The  story  is  practically  the  sole  reliance  of  the 
teacher  of  Beginners.  As  I  write,  there  lies  before 
me  this  word  from  the  mother  of  a  Beginners'  child : 
"She  is  a  story  fiend.  She  is  never  satisfied,  no 
matter  how  long  the  story  nor  how  many  I  read. 
Nor  does  it  make  any  difference  how  often  the  story 
is  told/' 


Studies  in  the  Departments  69 

The  Program. — It  is  desirable  that  Beginners  shall 
meet  in  their  own  room  and  have  their  own  exercises, 
meeting  in  the  larger  school  assembly  only  occasion- 
ally, on  Rally  Day  and  other  special  days.  The 
program  will  be  simple  and  flexible,  involving  fre- 
quent changes,  as  children  of  four  and  five  years  are 
capable  of  attention  for  only  brief  periods.  The 
leader  will  have  in  mind  a  definite  outhne  program 
from  which  she  will  depart  when  necessity  arises. 
Entertainment  is  not  the  main  object,  though  it  is 
necessary  to  entertain.  Formal  instruction  is  not 
practicable.  A  certain  spiritual  nurture  and  a  body 
of  impressions  which  will  be  basal  in  all  future  growth 
and  conduct  are  easily  possible. 

Mary  Foster  Bryner  offers  the  following :  ^ 

Suggested  Outline  of  Program  {One  Hour) 

Keep  early  comers   busy.     Be   ready  to  start  on 

time. 
Quiet  Music,  Opening  Song  and  Greeting,  Prayer, 

Praise,    Short    Memory   Verses    and    Offering 

(usually  marching).     Fifteen  minutes. 
Welcome  to  new  pupils  and  visitors,  Birthday  or 

Cradle  Roll  Service  or  general  singing.     Five 

minutes. 
Circle  Talk  and  Rest  Period.     Fifteen  minutes. 
New    Lesson    Story    and    Expression.      Fifteen 

minutes. 

Folders  distributed.  Good-bye  Message,  song  and 
prayer,  wraps  put  on,  and  orderly  dismissal. 
Ten  minutes. 

1  Mary  Foster  Bryner,  «*  The  Elementary  Division  Organized  for 
Service,"  page  44. 


JO         The  Present-Day  Sunday  School 

The  Sunday-School  Council  of  Evangelical  De- 
nominations has  adopted  and  the  Executive  Com- 
mittee of  the  International  Sunday-School  Associa- 
tion has  approved  the  following  : 


Standard  foir  the  Beginners'  Department 
The  Standard  for  a  Beginners'  Department  is  that 

which  it  is  possible  for  a  child  to  become  during  the 

years  of  four  and  five. 

What  the  child  becomes  manifests  itself  in  conduct. 

Conduct 

/.  The  conduct  of  the  Beginner  may  manifest: 

1.  Love,  trust  and  reverence  for  God. 

2.  Association  of  the  Heavenly  Father  with  daily 

hfe. 

3.  Right  behavior. 

4.  Love   for    God   through   prayer,   praise,   and 

effort  to  please  Him. 

5.  Love  for  others  through  acts  of  helpfulness. 

Aims 

//.  To  realize  these  ends  in  conduct  the  child  must 

have  : 

1.  A  knowledge  of  the  power  of  God,  to  give 

love,  protection,  and  care. 

2.  A  consciousness  of  God  as  his  Heavenly  Father 

and  Jesus  Christ  as  his  friend. 

3.  Ideals  of  right  conduct. 

4.  Opportunities  for  worship. 

5.  Opportunities  for  helpfulness. 


Studies  in  the  Departments  71 

Means 

///.  As   means  for  realizing  these  ends,  provisions 
should  be  made  for  : 

1.  Religious  instruction  and  religious  experience 

suited  to  the  child  of  Beginners'  age,  se- 
cured through : 

(a)  The  use  of  Beginners'  Graded  Lessons. 

(b)  The  story  method  and  informal  conversa- 

tion with  pictures  and  objects. 

(c)  Contact  with  nature. 

2.  An  environment  which  fosters  reHgious  feeling, 

secured  by : 

(a)  Providing  a  separate  room  (curtained  or 

screened  place,  where  room  is  not 
available). 

(b)  Making   the   room   or   corner   attractive, 

homelike  and  childlike ;  light  and 
well  ventilated ;  appropriate  in  color 
and  decoration. 

(c)  Furnishing  chairs  suitable  for  little  chil- 

dren (preferably  arranged  in  a  circle). 

(d)  Adequate  materials  for  teacher  and  chil- 

dren. 

(e)  Having  a  separate  program  for  the  entire 

session  where  room  is  available. 

3.  Opportunities      for     self-expression     secured 

through  : 

(a)  Worship    in   song,  prayer,  offerings   and 

Bible  verses. 

(b)  Conversation,    retelHng    of   stories,    and 

hand-work. 

(c)  Self-control  in  Sunday  school. 

(d)  Deeds  of  kindness  possible  for  little  chil- 

dren. 


72  The  Present-Day  Sunday  School 

4.  Teachers  qualified  by  nature,  training  and  re- 

ligious experience ;  that  is,  teachers  who 

(a)  Possess   a   sympathetic   understanding  of 

child-life. 

(b)  Have  a  personality  attractive  and  helpful 

to  children. 

(c)  Seek  frequent  contact  with  little  children 

in  their  home,  school  and  play  hfe. 

(d)  Are  graduates  or  students  in  a  Training 

Course,  a  Community  Training  School 
or  a  School  of  Principles  and  Methods. 

(e)  Are  continuing  their  specialized  training 

in  a  Graded  Union  or  by  the  reading 
of  one  specialization  book  a  year. 

(f )  Lead  a  sincere  Christian  Hfe. 

5.  Children  of  similar  interests  and   limitations 

grouped  into  a  Beginners'  class  or  depart- 
ment. 

(a)  Comprising  children  four  and  five  years 

of  age. 

(b)  Having  a  teacher  or  superintendent  and 

assistants. 

(c)  Promoting  children  about  six  years  of  age 

to  the  Primary  Department  on  annual 
promotion  day. 

References  : 

St.  John,  "  Child  Nature  and  Child  Nurture."     50  cents. 
St.  John,  '*  Stories  and  Story  Telling."      50  cents. 
Harrison,  "  A  Study  of  Child  Nature."     $1.00. 
Bryant,  "How  to  Tell  Stories  to  Children."     ^i.oo. 
Dubois,  "The  Point  of  Contact  in  Teaching."     75  cents. 
Mumford,  "  The  Dawn  of  Character."     ^1.20. 
Danielson,  "Lessons  for  Teachers  of  Beginners."  75  cents. 
Bryner,  "  The    Elementary  Division  Organized  for  Serv- 
ice."    50  cents. 


VIII 
THE  PRIMARY  DEPARTMENT 

THIS  department  includes  children  six,  seven, 
and  eight  years  of  age. 
Formerly  it  was  customary  to  place  all 
pupils  up  to  eight  or  ten  years  of  age  in  the  "  infant 
class."  During  the  years  from  1870  to  1880,  the 
word  "  infant  "  was  displaced  by  the  word  "  primary  " 
and  we  began  to  have  the  Primary  class  and  lessons, 
and  the  Primary  Department.  About  1895,  ^  separa- 
tion began  to  be  made  between  the  younger  children 
and  those  of  real  Primary  age,  and  we  came  to  have 
the  Beginners'  Department  and  the  Primary  Depart- 
ment. Special  Supplemental  Lessons  for  the  Begin- 
ners, Primary  and  Junior  Departments  were  author- 
ized by  the  International  Sunday-School  Convention 
in  Denver,  Colorado,  in  1902.  The  Supplemental 
Lessons  served  a  good  purpose  and  paved  the  way 
for  the  present  Graded  Lessons. 

The  Primary  Pupil. — Without  stressing  unduly  the 
differences  which  mark  off  the  Primary  pupil  from  the 
Beginner  and  the  Junior,  we  may  yet  say  with  con- 
fidence that  Primary  children  constitute  a  distinct 
group.  They  are  different  from  the  Beginners  and 
they  are  different  from  boys  and  girls  of  the  Junior 
Department. 

(i)     The  Primary  pupil  lives  in  a  larger  world  than 

73 


74  The  Present-Day  Sunday  School 

his  little  brother  in  the  Beginners*  Department.  He 
goes,  not  to  kindergarten,  but  to  the  public  school. 
He  is  beginning  to  read — a  thing  of  vast  significance 
to  the  teacher.  His  ever-widening  touch  with  life 
and  the  enlarging  sphere  of  his  experiences  enable 
him  to  receive  and  appreciate  much  Bible  teaching 
which  would  have  been  impossible  for  him  in  the 
preceding  period. 

(2)  Not  only  does  the  Primary  pupil  live  in  a 
larger  world,  but  he  is  himself  a  better  developed 
personahty  than  the  Beginner.  Watch  the  typical 
Primary  pupil  in  association  with  his  httle  Beginner 
friend.  He  feels  himself  vastly  larger  and  wiser  and 
will  frequently  assume  responsibility  for  tlie  care  and 
even  the  instruction  of  his  younger  friend.  Note  a 
group  of  Beginners  coming  into  a  room  with  Primary 
pupils  and  see  the  looks  and  attitudes  of  the  Primary 
children  towards  them.  Children  grow  with  marked 
rapidity  during  the  period  from  four  to  nine  years  of 
age.  Professor  Athearn  finds  that  the  child  increases 
thirty-two  per  cent,  in  weight  and  thirteen  per  cent, 
in  height  during  the  Primary  period.  As  the  body 
grows,  so  also  does  the  mind,  the  vocabulary,  and  the 
whole  range  of  mental  and  spiritual  experience. 

The  teacher  of  Primary  pupils  will  need  to  study 
the  best  books  which  treat  this  age  and  she  will  wish 
to  study  with  discriminating  care  her  own  pupils.  It  is 
difficult  to  say  whether  there  is  greater  danger  of  over- 
estimating these  children  or  of  treating  them  as  if  they 
were  less  in  capacity  and  development  than  they  are. 

Organization. — This    department    will    require   a 


Studies  in  the  Departments  7^ 

superintendent,  who  may  be  also  a  teacher,  a  suf- 
ficient number  of  teachers  for  classes  of  six  or  eight 
pupils,  a  pianist  and  a  secretary-treasurer.  Other 
helpers  with  various  ofifices  may  be  added  as  needed. 
If  the  Beginners  and  the  Primary  children  must  meet 
in  one  room,  the  same  general  officers  may  suffice  for 
both  departments,  though  in  all  matters  of  enroll- 
ment, reports,  and,  as  far  as  possible,  in  general  care, 
teaching,  and  handling,  the  department  Hnes  should 
be  kept  clear.  After  a  brief  joint  session,  let  a  screen 
set  the  Beginners  off  to  themselves  and  let  them  be 
cared  for  in  accordance  with  their  nature  and  needs. 
Workers  here  will  bear  in  mind  that  "  the  supreme 
aim  of  the  Sunday  school  is  to  develop  to  the  utmost 
the  religious  life  of  every  pupil." 

Equipment. — This  department  should,  by  all  means, 
have  a  room  of  its  own.  This  room  should  be  on  the 
first  floor,  ample  in  size,  bright  and  attractive. 

(i)  A  piano.  This  is  needed  for  the  music  and 
for  the  marches,  and  adds  much  to  the  department. 

(2)  Little  chairs,  slightly  larger  than  for  the  Be- 
ginners. White  chairs,  with  all  other  colors  blending 
and  soft,  are  to  be  preferred.  If  the  department  can- 
not have  tables,  each  teacher  will  arrange  her  class  in 
a  semicircle  and  will  sit  where  she  can  almost  touch 
any  member  of  the  class.  The  chairs  should  be 
twelve  to  fourteen  inches  in  height. 

(3)  Tables,  at  least  one  for  each  class.  These 
should  be  about  twenty-five  inches  in  height.  They 
are  sometimes  built  semicircular,  so  that  the  children 
can  sit  around  the  outside  while  the  teacher  occupies 


76  The  Present-Day  Sunday  School 

the  inside  space.     If  the  teacher  prefers  to  stand, 
tables  of  ordinary  build  may  well  be  used. 

(4)  A  teacher's  desk  with  a  drawer  provided  with 
lock  and  key. 

(5)  Blackboards,  preferably  built  into  the  wall  and 
coming  down  within  twenty  inches  of  the  floor. 

(6)  A  chest  with  lock  and  key  for  crayon,  eraser, 
and  all  materials  used  in  the  department. 

(7)  Pictures,  both  for  the  walls  and  for  teaching 
the  lessons.  For  the  walls  such  pictures  as  "  The  Na- 
tivity," by  Hoffman,  "  The  Finding  of  Moses,"  by 
Delaroche,  "  The  Good  Shepherd,"  by  Plockhorst, 
are  suitable. 

For  more  elaborate  furnishings,  the  reader  will  con- 
sult special  books  on  the  Primary  Department. 

Lesson  Material. — During  the  two  years  in  the  Be- 
ginners' Department,  the  child  has  learned  concern- 
ing God  as  a  loving,  protecting,  providing  Father. 
During  the  Primary  period  he  studies  a  wider  range 
of  Bible  stories  and  learns  more  fully  about  God's  love 
and  care.  Especially  is  he  to  go  further  and  learn 
concerning  duties  to  God  and  to  all  of  His  creatures. 
The  following  topics  for  the  first  year  Primary,  which 
appear  in  the  list  of  the  International  Graded  Les- 
sons, will  suggest  the  type  of  stories  and  teaching 
suitable  for  Primary  pupils. 

Themes  for  First  Year  Primary 

L  God  the  Creator  and  Father. 

II.  God  the  Loving  Father  and  His  Good  Gifts. 

III.  God's  Care  Calling  Forth  Love  and  Thanks. 

IV.  Love  Shown  by  Kindness. 


Studies  in  the  Departments  77 

V.     God's  Best  Gift. 
VI.     God  the  Protector. 
VII      God  Rescuing  from  Sin. 
VIII.     God  the   Giver   of    Life  on  Earth  and  in 
Heaven. 
IX.     God  Speaking  to  a  Child. 
X.     Speaking  to  God  in  Prayer. 
XI.     Worshipping  God. 
XII.     Pleasing  God  by  Right-Doing. 
XIII.     God's  Loving  Kindness.     A  Review  of  the 
Year. 
The  Primary  child  is  still  hungry  for  the  story. 
Here,  as  in  the  Beginners'  Department,  the  story  is 
the    teacher's   chief    reliance   in   teaching.     Dr.   G. 
Stanley  Hall  says,  "  Let  me  tell  the  stories  and  I 
care  not  who  writes  the  text-book."     Prof.  Wilham 
James  is  quoted  as  saying,  "  Good  story-teUing  is  the 
best  intellectual  qualification  of  the  teacher."     Laura 
E.  Cragin  suggests,  as  regards  the  stories  suitable: 
«  These  little  ones  are  interested  in  natural  objects, 
and    especially   living    creatures,   so    nature   stories 
should  be  given  them.     Active  and  restless  them- 
selves, stories  of  action  hold  their  attention  most  suc- 
cessfully.    All  stories  given  them  should  be  simple, 
concrete,  teaching  but  one  truth." 

The  Program 
The  following  is  given  as  a  typical  formal  program  :  * 

/.  Opening  Service  of  Worship  {10  minutes). 

I .  Quiet  music  to  call  the  school  to  order.  "  The 
Melody  in  F  "  by  Rubinstein. 

1  Marion  Thomas  in  «  The  Encyclopedia  of  Sunday  Schools  and 
'Religious  Education,"  page  819. 


78         The  Present-Day  Sunday  School 

2.  Song  Sentence  by  Piano.     "  Enter  Into  His 

Gates  With  Thanksgiving." 

3.  Bible  Responses  by  Superintendent  and  Pupils. 

This  is  the  house  which  the  Lord  hath  made  ; 
We  will  rejoice  and  be  glad  in  it. — Psalm  118  :  24. 

I  was  glad  when  they  said  unto  me, 
Let   us  go   into   the  house  of  the  Lord. — Psalm 
122 : 1. 

Enter  into  his  gates  with  thanksgiving, 

And  into  his  courts  with  praise. — Psalm  lOO  :  4. 

4.  Song.    "  With  Happy  Voices  Singing."   (From 

Hymns  of  Worship  and  Service  for  the  Sun- 
day School.) 

With  happy  voices  singing, 
Thy  children,  Lord,  appear ; 
Their  joyous  praises  bringing 
In  anthems  sweet  and  clear. 
For  skies  of  golden  splendor, 
For  azure  rolling  sea, 
For  blossoms  sweet  and  tender, 
O  Lord,  we  worship  thee. 
And  shall  we  not  adore  thee, 
With  more  than  joyous  song, 
Nor  live  in  truth  before  thee, 
All  beautiful  and  strong  ? 
Lord,  bless  our  weak  endeavor 
Thy  servants  true  to  be, 
And  thro'  all  life,  forever, 
To  live  our  praise  to  thee. 

5.  Prayer,  closing  with  the  Lord's  Prayer. 

6.  Prayer  Response. 

**  Hear  my  prayer,  O  Lord,  and  keep  me  in  all 
my  ways.     Amen.     Amen."     (From  Carols.) 


Studies  in  the  Departments  79 

//.  General  Exercises  {10  minutes). 

1.  The  Offering  Service. 

(a)  The  offering  presented. 

(b)  Offering  verses  recited. 

Every  good  gift  and  every  perfect  gift  is  from 
above,  coming  down  from  the  Father. — 
James  I  :  17a. 

Freely  ye  received,  freely  give. — Matt.  10  : 8. 

God  loveth  a  cheerful  giver. — 2  Cor.  g  :  7. 

(c)  Offering  Prayer,  or  Prayer  Song. 

2.  The  Birthday  Exercises. 

(a)  The  birthday  offering  presented. 

(b)  The  birthday  song. 

(c)  The  birthday  prayer. 

///.  Class  Work  and  Lesson  Teaching  ( jo  minutes). 

1.  Review  of  lesson  taught  the  preceding  Sun- 

day and  drill  of  memory  verses,  or  a  cor- 
related lesson  taught. 

2.  The  new   lesson  taught  in  first,  second,  and 

third  year  classes. 

3.  Hand-work. 

IV.  Closing  Exercises  {10  minutes). 

1.  Brief    review    by   the   superintendent   of   the 

lessons  taught  by  the  class  teachers. 

2.  Closing  prayer,  or  song. 

3.  Notices  and  dismission  of  pupils. 

The  Sunday-School  Council  of  Evangelical  De- 
nominations has  adopted,  and  the  Executive  Com- 
mittee of  the  International  Sunday-School  Associa- 
tion has  approved,  the  following : 


8o         The  Present-Day  Sunday  School 

Standard  for  the  Primary  Department 
The  Standard  for  a  Primary  Department  is  that 
which  it  is  possible  for  a  child  to  become  during  the 
years  six,  seven  and  eight. 

What  the  child  becomes  manifests  itself  in  con- 
duct 

Conduct 
/.   The  conduct  of  the  Primary  child  may  manifest : 

1.  Love,  trust,  reverence  and  obedience  of  God 

the  Father  and  Jesus  Christ  the  Saviour. 

2.  Recognition  of  the  Heavenly  Father  in  daily 

life. 

3.  Love  for  God  through  worship. 

4.  Love   and   reverence   for   God's  Book,  God's 

Day  and  God's  House. 

5.  Increasing  power  to  act  in  response  to  ever- 

enlarging  ideas   of  what  is  right  and  de- 
sirable. 

6.  Increasing  spirit  of  obedience  and  helpfulness. 

7.  Increasing  power  to  give  love  and  forget  self 

in  social  relations. 

Aims 

II.  To  realize  these  ends  in  co7tduct  the  child  must 
have  : 

1.  A  knowledge  of  God  in  His  love,  care,  might 

and  power  to  give  help  and  guidance. 

2.  A    consciousness    of    God   as    the    Heavenly 

Father   and   Jesus    Christ   the  Helper  and 
Saviour. 

3.  Experience  and  training  in  worship. 

4.  Happy   associations  with   God's  Book,  God's 

Day  and  God's  House. 


Studies  in  the  Departments  8l 

5.  Instruction  concerning  what  is  right  and  wrong, 

proper    examples,    and    opportunities    for 
choosing  the  right. 

6.  Opportunities  for  helpfulness. 

7.  Opportunities  for  play  and  service  in  coopera- 

tion with  others. 

Means 
///.  As   means  for  realizing  these  ends,  provisions 
should  be  made  for  : 

1.  Religious  instruction  and  religious  experience 

suited  to  the  children  of  Primary  age,  se- 
cured through : 

(a)  The  use  of  Primary  Graded  Lessons. 

(b)  Graded    Primary  Supplementary  Lessons 

when  Uniform  Lessons  are  used.  (Some 
denominations  recognize  only  Graded 
Lessons.) 

(c)  The  story  method,  with  pictures,  black- 

board, and  illustrative  material. 

(d)  Graded  correlated  Missionary  instruction. 

(e)  Graded  correlated  Temperance  instruction. 

2.  Worship  which  expresses  the  child's  religious 

feehng,  secured  through : 

(a)  Appropriate  service  of  worship. 

(b)  Reverent  atmosphere  and  proper  environ- 

ment. 

(c)  The  teacher's  spirit  and  manner. 

(d)  Contact  with  nature. 

3.  An  environment  which  inspires  order  and  rev- 

erence  and   is    conducive  to  worship  and 
work,  secured  by : 
(a)  A  separate   room  (curtained  or  screened 

place,   where  a  room  is  not  available), 

light,  and  well  ventilated. 


82  The  Present-Day  Sunday  School 

(b)  Attractive  decorations  and  arrangements. 

(c)  Comfortable  chairs  and  class  tables. 

(d)  Adequate  material  for  teachers  and  chil- 

dren. 

(e)  A   separate  program   for   entire  session, 

where  a  room  is  available. 

4.  Opportunities    for   self-expression   alone   and 

with  others,  secured  through  : 

(a)  Worship  in  song,  prayer  and  Scripture. 

(b)  Conversation,  reteUing  of  stories,  recalling 

memory  verses,  and  hand-work. 

(c)  Giving,  which  includes   missionary  offer- 

ings. 

(d)  Unselfishness,    self-control    and    acts    of 

service. 

5.  Teachers  quahfied  by  nature,  training  and  re- 

ligious experience,  that  is,  teachers  who 

(a)  Possess   a   sympathetic   understanding  of 

child-life. 

(b)  Have  a  personality  attractive  and  helpful 

to  children. 

(c)  Seek  frequent  contact  with  little  children 

in  their  home,  school  and  play  hfe. 

(d)  Are  graduates  or  students  in  a  Training 

Course,  a  Community  Training  School 
or  a  School  of  Principles  and  Meth- 
ods. 

(e)  Are  continuing  their  specialized  training 

in  a  Graded  Union,  or  by  the  reading 
of  one  specialization  book  a  year. 

(f)  Lead  a  sincere  Christian  life. 

6.  Children   six,   seven   and   eight   years  of  age 

grouped  into  class  or  department,  according 
to  age,  interest  and  abiUty. 


Studies  in  the  Departments  83 

(a)  In  a  small  school  a  Primary  Class  separate 

from  other  classes. 

(b)  In  a  larger  school,  a  Primary  Department, 

with  a  superintendent,  officers,  class 
teachers,  and  classes  comprising  not 
more  than  eight  children. 

(c)  Class  groups : 

1.  Children  approximately  six  years  of 

age  in  first-year  grade  or  classes. 

2.  Children  approximately  seven  years 

of  age   in   second-year  grade  or 
classes. 

3.  Children  approximately  eight  years 

of   age    in    third-year    grade    or 
classes. 

(d)  Promotion    of    children    from    grade   to 

grade  within  the  department;  gradu- 
ation from  the  Third  Grade  into  the 
Junior  Department  with  recognition  on 
the  annual  promotion  day. 

References  : 

Besides  the  books  recommended  for  Beginners*  teachers,  all 
of  which  will  be  helpful  here,  we  may  name  : 

Dubois,  "  The  Natural  Way."     $1.25. 
Lamareaux,  "  The  Unfolding  Life."      50  cents. 
Murray,  **  Our  Primary  Department."      50  cents. 
Archibald,  **  The  Primary  Department."      50  cents. 
Hervey,  **  Picture  Work."      25  cents. 
Littlefield,  "Hand  Work  in  the  Sunday  School."     ;^l.oo. 
Trumbull,  «  Hints  on  Child  Training."     $1.25. 
Beauchamp,  "  The  Graded  Sunday  School."      50  cents. 
Bryner,  "  The  Elementary    Division    Organized   for  Serv- 
ice."    50  cents. 


IX 

THE  JUNIOR  DEPARTMENT 

THE  Junior  Department  ministers  to  the 
spiritual  needs  of  boys  and  girls  nine,  ten, 
eleven,  and  twelve  years  of  age. 

The  Junior  Pupil. — While  there  is  no  abrupt 
change  in  the  pupil  as  he  passes  from  the  Primary 
Department  to  the  Junior  Department,  yet  the 
Junior  pupil  is  in  many  real  ways  distinct  from  the 
Primary  pupil.  Prof.  L.  P.  Leavell  has  characterized 
this  pupil  in  the  following  phrases :  energetic,  grow- 
ing independence,  verbal  memory  at  height,  plays 
with  the  gang,  great  evangelistic  opportunity.  Miss 
Baldwin  suggests  the  following  marks  of  the  Junior 
period  :  interested  in  reading,  hero  worship,  habit 
forming  period,  golden  memory  period,  geographical 
and  historical  senses,  reason  developing,  literal- 
minded,  a  high  sense  of  honor.  Dr.  A.  H.  McKinney 
in  treating  the  Junior  pupil  gives  a  chapter  each  to 
the  following  subjects :  "  The  Reading  Age,"  "  The 
Receptive  Age,"  "  The  Memory  Age,"  *'  The  Curious 
and  Imitative  Age,"  "  The  Habit  Forming  Age," 
"  The  Submissive  and  Fruitful  Age."  * 

Organization. — The  officers  and  helpers  needed  in 

»  McKinney,  «  After  the  Primary,  What  ?  " 
84 


Studies  in  the  Departments  85 

this,  as  in  other  departments  of  the  school,  must  de- 
pend on  the  number  enrolled  in  the  department,  the 
conditions  under  which  they  meet,  whether  in  a  large 
departmental  room,  with  class  rooms  adjoining,  or  in 
one  corner  of  the  crowded  meeting  house,  and,  in  a 
measure,  upon  the  nature  and  number  of  workers 
available  for  service  here.  All  of  the  officers  re- 
quired for  the  Primary  Department  are  needed 
in  the  Junior  Department  with  some  possible  ad- 
ditions. 

The  classes,  as  in  the  departments  already  discussed, 
should  be  small,  comprising  six  to  ten  pupils.  Boys 
and  girls  should  be  in  separate  classes,  inasmuch  as 
they  play  apart  and  both  boys  and  girls  prefer  as- 
sociates of  their  own  sex. 

If  the  department  has  separate  quarters  of  its  own 
and  comprises  as  many  as  sixty  pupils,  the  organi- 
zation would  be  somewhat  as  follows  :  a  superin- 
tendent in  general  charge,  a  pianist,  a  secretary- 
treasurer,  and  ten  teachers.  If  suitable  teachers  can 
be  secured  in  sufficient  numbers,  the  teaching  force 
may  be  somewhat  larger  and  there  may  be  a  cor- 
responding number  of  substitute  teachers. 

During  this  period  class  organization  may  be  en- 
couraged in  its  simple  forms.  There  may  be  a  class 
name  with  a  class  pin ;  a  president,  possibly  the 
child  who  has  for  the  preceding  quarter  made  the 
best  general  record ;  a  secretary  and  a  treasurer. 
New  officers  should  be  elected  each  quarter. 

The  following  class  schemes,  offered  by  the  Sun- 
day-School   Board,   Southern    Baptist    Convention, 


86 


The  Present-Day  Sunday  School 


Nashville,    Tennessee,   may   be    suggestive    of    the 
names  and  forms  suitable  for  this  department ; 


FIRST  GRADE  JUNIOR 

Boys  9  Years  Old 

Name  :  BOYS'  CADET  CORPS. 
Colors  :  White,  blue  and  orange. 
Motto  :  Busy,  Cheerful,  Courageous. 
Aim  :  Ready  for  service. 
Verse  :  Here  am  I,  seud  me.     (Isa.  6  : 8.^ 
Song :  Make  Me  a  Channel  of  Blessing. 


Girls  9  Years  Old 

Name:  WILLING  WORKERS. 

Colors  :  White,  green  and  orange. 

Motto  :  Work  to  Win. 

Aim :  To  do  the  best  I  can,  where  I  am,  with  what 

I  have  for  Jesus  Christ,  to-day. 
Verse :  Do  with  thy  might  what  thy  hands  find  to  do. 
Song:  Lifetime  is  Working  Time,  or,  We'll  Work 

till  Jesus  Comes. 


SECOND  GRADE  JUNIOR 

Boys  ID  Years  Old 

Name :  BLESSING  BEARERS. 

Colors  :  Navy,  yellow  and  white. 

Motto :  Carry  Untold  Blessings. 

Aim  :  To  make  the  world  better. 

Verse :  A  merry  heart  doeth  good  like  a  medicine. 

Song :  Keep  the  Heart  Singing  all  the  While. 


Girls  10  Years  Old 

Name:  BUSY  BEES. 

Colors:  Gold,  white,  and  blue. 

Motto  :  Bending  Every  Effort. 

Aim  :  Give  every  flying  minute  something  to  keep 

in  store. 
Verse  :  The  night  cometh  when  no  man  can  work. 
Song :  Work  for  the  Night  is  Coming. 


Studies  in  the  Departments 


87 


THIRD  GRADE  JUNIOR 

Boys  II  Years  Old 

Name :  LOYAL  SOLDIERS. 
Colors :  Dark  blue,  red  and  white. 
Motto  :  Fight  the  Good  Fight  of  Faith. 
Aim  :  To  obey  the  King's  commands. 
Verse  :  Put  on  the  whole  armour  of  God. 
Song :  Loyalty  to  Christ. 


Girls  II  Years  Old 


Name : 
Colors : 
Motto : 


CHEERFUL  HELPERS. 

White  and  yellow. 

For  Others. 
Aim  :  To  lend  a  helping  hand. 
Verse  :  Be  not  weary  in  well  doing. 
Song  :  Make  Me  a  Channel  of  Blessing, 


FOURTH  GRADE  JUNIOR 

Boys  12  Years  Old 

Name :  KING'S  SONS. 

Colors :  Red,  green  and  yellow. 

Motto  :  On  Business  for  My  King. 

Aim  :  To  walk  worthy  of  the  vocation  wherewith 

we  are  called. 
Verse  :  Thou  art  a  son ;  if  a  son,  then  an  heir, 

(Gal.  4:7.) 
Song  :  I'm  a  Subject  of  the  King  of  Kings. 


Girls  12  Years  Old 

Name :  KING'S  DAUGHTERS. 

Colors  :  White,  gold  and  purple. 

Motto  :  In  His  Name. 

Aim  :  To  please  Him. 

Verse :  Teach  me  thy  ways,  O  Lord. 

27:11.) 
Song :  I'm  the  Child  of  a  King. 


(Psalm 


Equipment. — The  ideal  arrangement  for  this  de- 
partment is  a  commodious,  attractive,  well-lighted 
department  room  with  a  separate  room  for  each 
class.    The  furnishings  will  include  ; 


88         The  Present-Day  Sunday  School 

(i)  A  piano,  which  is  quite  as  needful  here  as  in 
the  earher  departments. 

(2)  Suitable  chairs.  If  the  classes  cannot  have 
tables,  the  combination  chair  and  desk  makes  a  happy 
compromise.  If  the  department  has  no  class  rooms, 
but  must  do  its  work  in  one  room,  the  combination 
chair  is  fairly  suitable. 

(3)  Tables.  Apart  from  the  fact  that  tables  are 
essential  in  manual  and  other  expressional  work, 
they  serve  well  in  forming  a  nucleus  about  which 
each  class  may  become  a  social  group.  Some  Junior 
teachers  have  preferred  a  table  built  in  a  semicircle, 
the  teacher  sitting  inside  of  the  circle.  A  simple 
substitute,  which  makes  possible  any  necessary  ex- 
tension of  the  class,  is  to  place  two  tables  parallel 
with  each  other,  leaving  the  teacher  free  to  ob- 
serve and  direct  the  work  as  may  be  needed.  The 
tables  should  be  about  twenty-eight  inches  in  height, 
and  need  not  be  more  than  twenty-four  inches  in 
width. 

(4)  A  teacher's  table  or  desk. 

(5)  Blackboards.  A  large  blackboard  built  into 
the  wall  for  the  assembly  room,  and  reversible  boards 
for  each  class. 

(6)  A  chest  large  enough  to  contain  all  teaching 
materials,  preferably  one  for  each  class. 

(7)  Pictures  for  the  walls  and  for  teaching.  Miss 
Baldwin  suggests  the  following  pictures  as  especially 
suitable  for  the  walls  of  the  Junior  Department.* 

»  Maud  Junkin  Baldwin,  "  The  Juniors  :  How  to  Teach  and  Train 
Them,"  page  36. 


Studies  in  the  Departments  89 

Christ  Among  the  Doctors  (Hoffman). 

The  Angelas  (Millet). 

The  Last  Supper  (Da  Vinci). 

The  Sistine  Madonna  (Raphael). 

Christ  and  the  Rich  Young  Ruler  (Hoffman). 

Sir  Galahad  (Watts). 

Daniel  in  the  Lions'  Den  (Riviere). 

Moses  with  the  Tables  of  the  Law  (Raphael). 

Lesson  Material. — The  clear  defining  and  setting 
out  of  this  department  has  been  a  belated  develop- 
ment. When  Dr.  McKinney  issued  his  book  on  this 
department  in  1904,  he  called  it  "  After  the  Primary, 
What?"  in  order  to  have  a  title  with  which  the 
public  would  have  some  acquaintance.  The  whole 
world  now  knows  the  Junior.  Lesson  material  adapted 
to  the  Junior  also  came  slowly.  The  first  real  step  was 
the  Supplemental  Lessons,  issued  in  1902.  Happily 
we  now  have  the  International  Graded  Lessons  for 
all  departments  in  the  Sunday  school. 

"  Whatever  lesson  system  is  adopted,  the  story 
method  is  used  here  as  in  the  younger  grades.  This 
is  the  last  period  in  which  the  story  makes  the  main 
appeal ;  in  these  years  all  the  great  stories  of  the  Old 
and  New  Testament  should  be  presented."  Such 
stories  serve  the  double  purpose  of  feeding  the  hungry 
spirit  of  the  child  and  of  furnishing  a  basis  for  intelli- 
gent hearing  of  Bible  preaching  in  all  the  after  years. 

As  illustrating  the  kind  of  Biblical  material  suitable 
for  the  Junior  period,  we  give  below  the  outline  of 
the  International  Graded  Lessions  for  the  Junior 
Department. 


90  The  Present-Day  Sunday  School 

Graded  Series — Junior  Course 

(Grades  4  to  7.  Approximate  ages:  Nine,  ten, 
eleven,  twelve  years.) 

Ai7n  of  the  Course 

1.  To  awaken  an  interest  in  the  Bible,  and  a  love 
for  it ;  to  deepen  the  impulse  to  choose  and  to  do 
right. 

2.  To  present  the  ideal  of  moral  heroism ;  to 
reveal  the  power  and  majesty  of  Jesus  Christ,  and  to 
show  His  followers  going  forth  in  His  strength  to  do 
His  work. 

3.  To  deepen  the  sense  of  responsibility  for  right 
choices ;  to  show  the  consequences  of  right  and 
wrong  choices  ;  to  strengthen  love  of  right  and  hatred 
of  wrong. 

4.  To  present  Jesus  as  our  example  and  Saviour ; 
to  lead  the  pupil  to  appreciate  his  opportunities  for 
service,  and  to  give  him  a  vision  of  what  it  means  to 
be  a  Christian. 

Material  for  the  First  Year 

I.  Stories  of  the  Beginnings.     Lessons  i  to  7. 

II.  Stories  of  the  Three  Patriarchs.    Lessons  8  to  20. 

III.  The  Story  of  Joseph.     Lessons  21  to  26. 

IV.  Stories  of  Moses  and  of  His  Times.     Lessons 

27  to  39. 
V.     Stories  that  Jesus  Told.     Lessons  40  to  48. 
VI.     The  Journeys  of  Moses.     Lessons  49  to  52. 

Material  for  the  Second  Year 

I.     Stories  of  the  Conquest  of  Canaan.     Lessons  i 

to  8. 
II.     Opening  Stories  of  the  New  Testament.     Les- 
sons 9  to  II. 


Studies  in  the  Departments  91 

III.  Incidents  in  the  Life  of  the  Lord  Jesus.     Les- 

sons 12  to  28. 

IV.  Early  Followers  of  the  Lord  Jesus.     Lessons  29 

to  35- 
V.     Later  Followers  of  the  Lord  Jesus.     Lessons  36 

to  43. 
VI.     Stories  of  the  Judges.     Lessons  44  to  52. 

Material  for  the  Third  Year 
I.     The  First  Three  Kings  of  Israel.     Lessons  I  to 

18. 
II.     The  Divided  Kingdom.     Lessons  19  to  35. 

III.  Responsibility  for  One's  Self,  Neighbor,  and 

Country.     Lessons  36  to  39. 

IV.  The  Exile  and  the  Return.     Lessons  40  to  48. 
V.     Introduction  to  New  Testament  Times.   Lessons 

49  to  52. 

Material  for  the  Fourth  Year 
I.     The  Gospel  of  Mark.     Lessons  i  to  26. 
II.     Studies  in  the  Acts.     Lessons  27  to  39. 

III.  Winning  Others  to  God.     Lessons  40  to  47. 

IV.  The  Bible,  The  Word  of  God.    Lessons  48  to  5  2. 

The  Program 
If  it  is  possible  for  the  Juniors  to  have  their  own 
assembly  room,  they  should  have  a  separate  program. 
Graded  worship  is  needed  as  well  as  graded  lessons. 
With  a  separate  departmental  program  of  worship 
and  teaching  and  training,  a  rounded  development 
is  possible  in  this  department.  Those  who  lead  in 
pubhc  prayer  should  remember  that  they  lead  rest- 
less children  in  their  petitions.  Let  the  prayers  be 
brief  and  definite  and  withal  reverent.  Make  much 
of  the  great  hymns  of  the  church.     Let  these  be 


92  The  Present-Day  Sunday  School 

memorized  in  considerable  numbers.  Get  the  pastor 
to  ask  the  boys  and  girls  of  the  department  to  sing 
one  of  these  great  hymns  occasionally  in  the  worship 
service. 

Elizabeth  Williams  Sudlow,  in  her  little  book, 
"  All  About  the  Junior,"  suggests  that  the  program 
for  Juniors  should  be  built  about  the  following  four 
things :  Worship,  Instruction,  Fellowship,  and  Busi- 
ness, with  items  somewhat  as  listed  below.  The 
essential  elements  in  the  Junior  program  would  be 
thus  somewhat  as  follows  : 

I.     Worship  (15  minutes). 

1.  Singing. 

2.  Bible-reading  (responsive  or  in  concert). 

3.  Prayer. 

4.  Offering  (reverent  and  worshipful). 

II.     Instruction  (35  minutes). 

1.  The  day's  lesson. 

2.  Supplemental  and  hand-work. 

3.  Special    teaching    (as    temperance   and 

missions). 

4.  Occasional  opportunity  to  confess  Christ. 

III.  Fellowship  (10  minutes). 

1.  Birthday  recognition. 

2.  Welcome  to  returning  pupils. 

3.  Welcome  to  new  pupils. 

4.  Welcome  to  visitors. 

IV.  Business  (15  minutes). 

1 .  Marking  records  (church  attendance, etc.). 

2.  Distribute  papers  and  library  books. 

3.  Make  necessary  announcements. 

4.  Benediction  and  soft  music  (pupils  march- 

ing out  by  classes). 


Studies  in  the  Departments  93 

What  should  a  child  at  various  stages  have  learned 
in  the  Sunday  school?  In  a  conference  of  repre- 
sentative workers  led  by  Mrs.  J.  Woodbridge  Barnes, 
the  following  outline  was  agreed  on  as  an  answer  to 
this  important  question  : 

"  Years  3-5 :  Bible  stories  including  the  life  of 
Christ ;  children's  prayers  ;  simple  commandments  ; 
simple  Bible  verses  ;  simple  Beatitudes  ;  verses,  exer- 
cises and  songs  on  giving,  temperance,  and  missions; 
church  hymns. 

"  Years  6-8 :  Bible  stories  including  the  Hfe  of 
Christ;  the  Lord's  Prayer;  Commandments  con- 
tinued ;  Bible  verses  ;  the  Beatitudes  ;  giving,  temper- 
ance, and  missions ;  church  hymns  ;  the  Twenty-third 
Psalm. 

"Years  9-12:  Bible  stories  including  the  hfe  of 
Christ;  the  Lord's  Prayer;  the  Ten  Commandments; 
Bible  verses ;  the  Apostles'  Creed ;  giving,  temperance, 
and  missions  ;  church  hymns  ;  names  of  the  Apostles; 
the  Books  of  the  Bible ;  Bible  geography." 

The  following  Standard,  offered  by  the  Sunday- 
School  Council  of  Evangelical  Denominations,  is  also 
recommended  by  the  Executive  Committee  of  the 
International  Sunday-School  Association : 

Standard  for  a  Junior  Department 
The  standard  for  a  Junior  Department  is  that  which 
it  is  possible  for  a  pupil  to  become  during  the  years 
9,  10,  II  and  12. 

What  the  pupil  becomes  manifests  itself  in  con- 
duct. 


94         The  Present- Day  Sunday  School 

Conduct 
L     The  conduct  of  a  Junior  pupil  may  manifest : 

1.  Love  and  loyalty  to  God  the  Creator  and 

Father,  and  to  Jesus  Christ  as  daily 
Companion,  Guide  and  King. 

2.  Acceptance     and     public    confession  of 

Jesus  Christ  as  his  Saviour. 

3.  Reverence,  love,  praise  and  thanksgiving 

through  worship. 

4.  Right  choices  and  decisions  in  increasing 

numbers. 

5.  Acts    in    accord   with    ideals    of    moral 

heroism. 

6.  Habits  of  church  attendance,  daily  Bible 

study,  daily  prayer  and  systematic,  in- 
telligent giving. 

7.  Growth  in  a  life  of  service  to  others. 

8.  An    unselfish   and   cooperative   spirit   in 

social  relations. 

Aims 

//.     To  realize  these  ends  in  conduct ^  the  pupil  must 
have : 

1.  Knowledge  of  God  in  His  creative  and 

sustaining  power,  and  of  Jesus  Christ  in 
His  power  and  majesty. 

2.  Personal  knowledge  of  Jesus  Christ  as  his 

Saviour. 

3.  Experience  and  training  in  worship. 

4.  Such  acquaintance  with  the  lives  of  heroes 

of  the  faith  as  will  make  him  feel  the 
attractiveness  and  value  of  right  be- 
havior. 


Studies  in  the  Departments  95 

5.  Knowledge  of  Bible  content  and  related 

facts  of  geography  and  history. 

6.  An  understanding  of  what  is  meant  by  a 

Christian  life  for  a  Junior  child. 

7.  Opportunities  for  service. 

8.  Ample    opportunity    for    social    contact 

under  guidance. 

Means 

///.     As  means  for  realizmg  these  ends^  provision 
should  be  made  for  : 

I.  Religious  instruction  and  rehgious  ex- 
periences suited  to  this  stage  of  moral 
and  spiritual  development,  secured 
through  : 

(a)  The  use  of  Junior  Graded  Lessons. 

(b)  Graded  Junior  Supplemental  Les- 

sons, when  Uniform  Lessons  are 
used.  (Some  denominations  rec- 
ognize only  Graded  Lessons.) 

(c)  Special  studies  in  the  Life  of  Christ 

in  the  last  year  of  the  Junior 
period. 

(d)  A  combination  of  the  story,  reci- 

tation and  question  methods  in 
teaching,  with  use  of  Bible  by 
pupils,  and  suitable  hand-work. 

(e)  The  use  of  pictures,  blackboards, 

maps  and  other  illustrative  ma- 
terial. 

(f)  The  memorization  of  Scripture  and 

church  hymns  related  to  the 
lesson  text. 


96         The  Present-Day  Sunday  School 

(g)  Frequent  competitive  map,  mem- 
ory and  Bible  drills  between 
classes. 

(h)  Graded  correlated  Missionary  in- 
struction. 

(i)  Graded  correlated  Temperance 
instruction. 

2.  Worship  which  expresses  feelings  and  as- 

pirations   possible    to   a    Junior   child, 
secured  through  : 

(a)  Appropriate  service  of  worship. 

(b)  Reverent  atmosphere  and  proper 

environment. 

(c)  The    superintendent's   spirit   and 

manner  and  the  teacher's  rev- 
erent participation  in  the  service. 

3.  An   environment  which   inspires  natural, 

reverent  worship,  is  conducive  to  orderly 
study  and  work,  secured  through: 

(a)  A    separate   room   (curtained   or 

screened  place,  where  room  is 
not  available),  light,  and  well 
ventilated. 

(b)  Separated    classes   during   lesson 

period  (partitions,  curtains  or 
screens). 

(c)  Attractive     decorations    and    ar- 

rangement. 

(d)  Comfortable  chairs  and  class  tables, 
(c)  Adequate    materials    for  teachers 

and  pupils. 
(f)  A   separate    program    for   entire 
session,  where  a  room  is  avail- 
able. 


Studies  in  the  Departments  97 

4.  Stimulation   through   incentives   and   re- 

wards, in   order  that  right  actions  may 
become  habitual,  secured  by  :  * 

(a)  Credits    given  for  (i)  Regularity, 

(2)  Punctuality,  (3)  Systematic 
giving,  (4)  Daily  Bible  reading 
and  study,  (5)  Memory  work, 
(6)  Neatness  and  completeness 
in  hand- work, (7)  Church  attend- 
ance. 

(b)  Departmental  Honor  Roll. 

(c)  Class  banner. 

(d)  Department  motto,  such  as  *'  Be 

ye  doers  of  the  Word." 

(e)  Teacher's    example   and  helpful- 

ness. 

(f)  Exhibit  of  pupil's  work. 

5.  Opportunities  for  self-expression  in  con- 

duct,   individual     and     social,    secured 
through : 

(a)  Worship    in    hymn,   prayer   and 

Scripture. 

(b)  Participation  in  class  or  depart- 

ment drills. 

(c)  Doing  required  hand-work. 

(d)  Giving  to  the  local  church,  mis- 

sions and  benevolences. 

(e)  Departmental  and  individual  acts 

of  service. 

(f)  Signing  the  temperance  and  anti- 

cigarette  pledge. 

(g)  Frequent  social  gatherings. 

*  The  "  Six  Point  System  of  Marking,"  which  in  some  sections 
has  come  into  general  use,  is  to  be  preferred. 


98  The  Present-Day  Sunday  School 

(h)  Entering    into    church   member- 
ship. 

6.  Teachers  quaHfied  by  nature,  rehgious  ex- 

perience and  training,  that  is,  teachers 
who 

(a)  Possess  a  sympathetic  understand- 

ing of  the  experiences,  interests, 
needs  and  possibilities  of  Junior 
boys  and  girls. 

(b)  Meet  the  need  of  these  pupils  for 

Christian  adult  companionship 
in  every-day  life. 

(c)  Live,  worship   and  work  in  har- 

mony with  all  that  is  desired  for 
the  pupils. 

(d)  Are   graduates    or  students  in  a 

Training  Course,  a  Community 
Training  School  or  a  School  of 
Principles  and  Methods. 

(e)  Are   continuing  their  specialized 

training  in  a  Graded  Union  or 
by  the  reading  of  one  special- 
ization book  a  year. 

7.  Pupils    of  nine,   ten,   eleven   and   twelve 

years  of  age  grouped  into  classes  or  a 
department,  according  to  age,  sex,  in- 
terest and  ability. 

(a)  In  a  small  school,  a  class  of  boys 

and  a  class  of  girls,  separated 
from  other  classes. 

(b)  In   a  larger  school,  a  Junior  De- 

partment with  a  superintendent, 
officers,  class  teachers,  and 
classes  comprising  not  more 
than  eight  pupils. 


Studies  in  the  Departments  99 

(c)  Class  groups  : 

1.  Pupils    approximately    nine 

years    of  age  in  first-year 
grade  or  classes. 

2.  Pupils     approximately     ten 

years  of  age  in  second-year 
grade  or  classes. 

3.  Pupils  approximately  eleven 

years  of  age  in  third-year 
grade  or  classes. 

4.  Pupils  approximately  twelve 

years  of  age  in  fourth-year 
grade  or  classes. 

(d)  Promotion  of  pupils  from  grade  to 

grade  within  the  department ; 
graduation  from  the  fourth 
grade  into  the  Intermediate  De- 
partment, with  recognition  on 
the  annual  promotion  day. 

References  : 

McKinney,  *'  After  the  Primary,  What  ? "     60  cents. 

Baldwin,  "  The  Juniors :  How  to  Teach  and  Train 
Them."      50  cents. 

Sudlow,  **  All  About  the  Junior."     50  cents. 

McKinney,    "  The  Child  for  Christ."     60  cents. 

Burroughs,  "  Winning  to  Christ — A  Study  in  Evangelism." 
50  cents. 

Kennedy,  *'  Our  Boys  and  Girls."     75  cents. 

McKinney,  "Our  Big  Boys."     60  cents. 

Forbush,  "  The  Boy  Problem."      50  cents. 

RafFety,  **  Brothering  the  Boy."     75  cents. 

Beauchamp,  "  The  Graded  Sunday  School."     50  cents. 

Bryner,  **  The  Elementary  Division  Organized  for  Serv- 
ice."    50  cents. 


THE  INTERMEDIATE  DEPARTMENT 

THE  Intermediate  Department  includes  young 
people  thirteen,  fourteen,  fifteen,  and  six- 
teen years  of  age. 
The  departments  of  the  modern  Sunday  school 
follow  closely  the  great  natural  periods  of  life  as  these 
are  discovered  and  defined  by  psychologists.  The 
two  steps  by  which  nature  leads  to  maturity  are 
childhood  and  adolescence.  Each  of  these  periods 
covers  about  twelve  years.  Each  falls  into  three 
divisions.  Thus  we  have  early  childhood,  up  to  six 
years ;  middle  childhood,  six  to  eight ;  later  child- 
hood, nine  to  twelve.  Likewise  we  have  early  ado- 
lescence, thirteen  to  sixteen ;  middle  adolescence, 
seventeen  to  twenty ;  and  later  adolescence,  twenty- 
one  to  twenty-four.  Setting  apart  the  first  three  years 
of  the  child's  life  as  the  period  of  infancy,  we  have : 

Early  childhood    .    .  4  and  5  years  of  age  .  Beginners'  Dept. 

Middle  childhood  .    .  6,  7,  8 Primary  Dept. 

Later  childhood    .    .  9,  10,  11,  12    .    .    .    .  Junior  Dept. 
Early  adolescence     .  13,  14,  15,  16  ...    .  Intermediate  Dept. 
Middle  adolescence  .  17,  18,  19,  20  .    .    .    .  Senior  Dept. 

The  Intermediate  Pupil. — The  pupil  who  enters  the 
Intermediate  Department  is  turning  into  a  new  and 
more  or  less  distinct  life  period.  In  the  organization 
of  this  department,  the  Sunday  school  has  recognized 
and  sought  to  meet  the  challenge  of  adolescence. 

100 


Studies  in  the  Departments  loi 

Practically  all  ancient  religions  took  account  of  the 
changes  and  developments  which  mark  the  begin- 
nings of  adolescence  and  signalized  this  period  in 
some  way.  This  is  in  some  sense  the  period  of  phys- 
ical and  intellectual  and  spiritual  rebirth,  a  time  of 
awakening  and  growth  into  the  larger  self.  It  has 
come  to  be  called  the  period  of  storm  and  stress. 
Leaving  the  shores  of  childhood,  the  Intermediate 
boy  moves  off  towards  the  shores  of  manhood.  He 
is  neither  child  nor  man,  though  he  may  partake 
largely  of  the  nature  of  both  child  and  man.  He 
needs  above  all  things  a  strong,  wholesome,  inspiring 
personality  to  walk  with  him  through  these  difficult 
years. 

Organization. — This  department  should  have  a 
superintendent,  teachers  for  classes  of  ten  to  fifteen 
pupils,  a  pianist,  and  a  secretary-treasurer.  Large 
departments  will  need  other  special  workers. 

As  in  the  Junior  Department,  so  also  in  the  Inter- 
mediate Department,  boys  and  girls  should  be  in 
separate  classes.  Thus  we  avoid  that  self-conscious- 
ness which  the  young  people  feel  in  the  presence  of 
each  other.  As  is  suggested  above,  the  classes 
should  usually  range  in  number  from  ten  to  fifteen, 
though  in  the  nature  of  the  case  this  must  depend 
somewhat  on  local  conditions. 

Men  should  teach  boys  and  women  should  teach 
girls.  There  are  evident  reasons  for  this.  Boys  hold 
men  as  their  ideals  and  models.  The  man  who  has 
not  altogether  forgotten  the  experiences  of  his  own 
youth,  the  man  who  is  normal  and  wholesome  can 


102        The  Present- Day  Sunday  School 

minister  to  the  growing  adolescent  boy  as  no  woman 
can  minister.  And  this  applies  equally  to  women 
as  teachers  of  girls.  The  woman  who  knows,  as  only 
a  woman  can  know,  the  heart  of  a  girl,  the  woman 
who  is  fine  and  rich  in  life  and  spirit  can  minister  to 
the  adolescent  girl  as  no  man  could  minister.  And 
yet  insistence  upon  this  point  may  easily  be  carried 
too  far.  Where  men  of  the  type  described  above 
cannot  be  secured  to  teach  boys,  let  competent 
women  assume  the  task.  There  are  doubtless  condi- 
tions under  which  some  good  man  will  make  the  best 
available  teacher  for  a  class  of  girls. 

Intermediate  and  Senior  pupils  require  somewhat 
more  care  and  flexibihty  in  their  grading.  Younger 
pupils  can  usually  be  assigned  to  classes  on  the  age 
basis  without  question.  Age  is  still  in  the  higher 
departments  the  usual  and  the  most  convenient  basis 
of  grading.  Mr.  M,  S.  Littlefield  reminds  us  that  the 
social  instincts  of  this  period  are  strong  and  that,  as 
the  gang  spirit  reaches  its  height  during  early  ado- 
lescence, the  class  should  be  made  a  normal  social 
unit.  "  Every  effort  should  be  made  to  group  to- 
gether youth  in  the  class  who  belong  together  in 
every-day  life ;  usually  the  age  forms  a  normal  basis 
for  grouping."  The  real  object  of  grading  is  to  group 
together  pupils  who  live  in  the  same  world  of  life  and 
interest.  This  is  especially  vital  in  the  early  adoles- 
cent period.  If  it  seems  desirable  to  make  exceptions 
to  the  accepted  age  basis  a  good  corps  of  workers  in 
the  department  can  easily  handle  the  exception  on 
the  individual  basis. 


Studies  in  the  Departments  103 

Class  organization  assumes  more  commanding  im- 
portance during  this  period.  In  all  educational  effort, 
adolescent  pupils  are  being  given  enlarged  recognition 
and  wider  freedom.  Not  until  we  reach  the  Adult 
Department  does  the  organized  class  reach  its  high- 
est stage  of  autonomy  and  self-direction,  but  within 
proper  limits  and  under  needed  restraints  the  organ- 
ized class  may  serve  well  the  needs  of  the  Interme- 
diate pupil. 

Messrs.  Arthur  Flake  and  L.  P.  Leavell,  in  a  little 
booklet  on  organized  classes,  suggest  the  following 
class  schemes  for  the  Intermediate  Department : 

FIRST  GRADE  INTERMEDIATE 

Boys  13  Years  Old 
Name :  VOLUNTEER  BAND. 
Colors :  Red,  white,  blue  and  gold. 
Motto  :  Know  ;  give  ;  go. 
Aim :  To  serve  Him  in  needy  places. 
Verse  :  Here  am  I,  send  me. 
Song :  I'll  be  a  Volunteer,  or,  Here  ami,  Send  Me. 

Girls  13  Years  Old 

Name :  QUEEN  ESTHERS. 

Colors :  Light  blue  and  gold. 

Motto  :  Esther  4  :  14,  last  clause. 

Verse :  Neither  count  I  my  life  dear. 

Song :  Take  My  Life  and  Let  it  be  Consecrated,  ete. 

SECOND  GRADE  INTERMEDIATE 

Boys  14  Years  Old 

Name:  VALIANT  KNIGHTS. 

Colors  :    Red,  blue  and  green. 

Motto  :  Nothing  Unholy,  Unkind,  Untrue. 

Aim  :  To  suffer  hardship  as  a  good   soldier. 

(2  Tim.  2:3.) 
Verse :  Put  on   the  whole  armour  of  God. 

(Eph.  6:13.) 
Song :  Yield  Not  to  Temptation. 


104       The  Present-Day  Sunday  School 


Girls  14  Years  Old 

Name  :  ALWAYS  READY  CLASS. 

Colors  :  "White  aud  yellow. 

Motto :  Those  that  Were  Ready,  Went  In. 

Aim  :  To  enter  every  open  door  of  service. 

Verse:  I  say  unto  you,  "Watch." 

Song :  When  Jesus  Comes  to  Reward  His  Servants. 


THIRD  GRADE  INTERMEDIATE 
Boys  15  Years  Old 

Name :  S.  O.  L.  CLASS. 

Colors  :  Orange  and  white. 

Motto  :  Serving  others  loyally. 

Aim  :  To  exalt  the  Sun  of  Righteousness. 

Verse  :  I  am  among  you  as  one  that  serveth. 

Song :  Sunlight. 

Girls  15  Years  Old 

Name:  KING'S  MESSENGERS. 

Colors  :  Red,  white  and  gold. 

Motto :  The  King's  business  requireth  haste. 

Aim  :  To  run  and  not  be  weary. 

Verse  :  As  thou  hast  sent  me,  so  I  have  sent  them. 

(John  17  :  18. ) 
Song :  Speed  Away. 

FOURTH  GRADE  INTERMEDIATE 

Boys  16  Years  Old 

Name  ;  "V.  I.  S."  CLASS  (Valiant  in  Service). 

Colors  :  Red,  white  and  black. 

Motto  :  Quit  you  like  men. 

Aim  :  Diligent  in  business,  serving  the  Lord. 

Verse :  Strong  in  the  Lord  and  the  power  of  His 

might. 
Song :  Yield  Not  to  Temptation. 

Girls  16  Years  Old 

Name :  DAUGHTERS  OF  RUTH. 

Colors  :  Light  blue  and  gold. 

Motto  :  Working  or  gleaning,  as  He  bids. 

Aim  :  To  do  cheerfully  the  duty  of  to-day,  however 

humble. 
Verse:  Where  hast   thou  gleaned  to-day?     (Ruth 

2:1.) 
Song  :  Bringing  in  the  Sheaves, 


Studies  in  the  Departments  ib^ 

Intermediate  pupils  have  a  growing  desire  to  serve, 
and  this  desire  should  be  encouraged  and  utilized. 
Local  conditions  must,  of  course,  determine  the 
nature  of  the  activities  which  the  department  or  the 
classes  shall  undertake.  The  following  report  of 
service  rendered  will  indicate  what  departments  and 
classes  may  do.* 

Department  Activities  : 

Supphed  fruits  for  hospitals  by  each  member  bring- 
ing one  or  two  pieces  at  a  time. 

Gathered  magazines  for  Home  for  Crippled  Chil- 
dren. 

Exchanged  magazines  among  members  of  the 
department. 

Raised  money  for  Parish  Fund  by  fair. 

Gathered  magazines  for  sailors  on  the  Mission 
Yacht  Association  in  New  York. 

Gave  Parents'  Social  annually. 

Gathered,  prepared,  and  sent  post-cards  to  Ellis 
Island. 

Made  clothing  for  hospital  out  of  material  supplied 
by  hospital. 

Dressed  dolls  and  made  scrap-books  for  the  Home 
for  Crippled  Children. 

Dressed  dolls  and  sent  books  and  toys  to  children 
at  Ellis  Island. 

Sent  barrel  of  surplus  material  to  a  Southern  Home. 

Sang  at  hospitals  and  for  shut-ins. 

* "  The  Encyclopedia  of  Sunday  Schools  and  Religious  Education," 
page  564. 


io6        The  Present-Day  Sunday-School 

Sent  surplus  literature  to  foreign  lands. 
Distributed  invitation  to  Sunday  school. 
Distributed  literature  in  foreign  languages. 
Gave  two  surprise  gifts  to  the  church — a  hymn 
tablet  and  a  dozen  new  hymnals. 

Class  Activities  : 

Provided  ice  water  for  the  summer  Prayer  Service. 

Sent  delicacies  and  flowers  to  a  member  of  the  class 
who  was  ill  eight  months. 

Made  comfort  bags. 

Took  charge  of  all  Special- Day  Programs  for  the 
school. 

Sent  missionary  box  to  Pine  Ridge  Agency  Indians 
for  Christmas. 

Sent  flowers  and  plants  to  sick  members  and  to 
hospital. 

Gave  a  splendid  dinner  and  birthday  party  to  one 
of  their  members  who  scarcely  knew  what  a  party  was. 

Subscribed  for  missionary  magazine  which  is  used 
in  their  fortnightly  meetings. 

Gave  money  to  buy  food  for  a  needy  family. 

Gave  a  "  can  social "  just  before  Thanksgiving. 
Received  eleven  dollars  and  sixty-nine  cans  of  fruit 
and  vegetables.  The  day  before  Thanksgiving  they 
packed  twenty-two  baskets.  It  took  five  hours'  work 
with  a  dray  to  make  this  distribution  to  twenty-two 
families. 

Equipment. — This  department  should  have  an  as- 
sembly room  with  suitable  class  rooms  opening  into 


Studies  in  the  Departments  107 

it.  Perhaps  in  no  other  period  are  separate  class 
rooms  so  much  needed.  These  pupils  are  preemi- 
nently in  the  self-conscious  age.  Moreover,  they 
ought  now  to  be  trained  to  offer  audible  prayer  and 
otherwise  to  give  such  expressions  of  worship  as 
must  be  impracticable  apart  from  the  quiet  and 
seclusion  of  the  class  room. 

The  combination  chair  and  desk  is  generally  pre- 
ferred to  tables  with  chairs  in  the  department.  No 
reasonable  expense  should  be  spared  in  making  the 
Sunday-school  quarters  of  the  Intermediates  attract- 
ive and  convenient. 

Lesson  Material. — It  is  generally  conceded  that  the 
study  of  great  Bible  characters  ministers  better  than 
any  other  study  to  the  needs  of  the  Intermediate 
pupil.  "  The  deepening  and  enlarging  life  of  this 
period  calls  for  a  type  of  lesson  which  shall  make  a 
distinct  appeal  to  the  new  sense  of  selfhood  and,  the 
new  sense  of  hunger  for  a  personal  ideal."  Many  of 
the  pupils  in  this  department  will  have  become  Chris- 
tians if  faithful  efforts  have  been  made  in  the  earlier 
departments,  and  these  young  Christians  should  have 
such  Bible  teaching  as  will  minister  to  their  growth 
in  vision  and  faith.  Many  of  the  denominations  are 
utilizing  the  opportunities  of  this  period  for  giving 
instruction  in  the  doctrines  and  practices  of  the 
church.  Temperance  and  missions  should  have 
especial  emphasis  during  this  period. 

Intermediate  pupils  in  a  peculiar  way  require 
teachers  of  deep  piety,  of  commanding  personality, 
men  and  women  who  will  walk  with  them  along  life's 


io8       The  Present-Day  Sunday  School 

way  confirming  their  faith,  steadying  their  purposes, 
and  enriching  their  hves.  The  fine  passage  from 
PhilHps  Brooks  on  preaching  is  quite  as  appHcable  to 
teaching :  "  Preaching  has  in  it  two  elements,  truth 
and  personahty.  Neither  of  these  can  it  spare  and 
still  be  preaching.  The  truth  must  come  really 
through  the  person,  not  merely  over  his  lips,  not 
merely  into  his  understanding  and  out  through  his 
pen.  It  must  come  through  his  character,  his  affec- 
tions, his  whole  intellectual  and  moral  being.  I 
think  that,  granting  equal  intelligence  and  study, 
here  is  the  great  difference  which  we  find  be- 
tween two  preachers  of  the  Word :  the  Gospel  has 
come  over  one  of  them,  it  has  come  through  the 
other." 

As  illustrating  the  kind  of  lesson  material  suitable 
for  the  Intermediate  period,  we  give  below  the  out- 
line of  the  International  Graded  Lessons  for  the 
Intermediate  Department. 

Graded  Series — Intermediate  Course 

(Approximate  ages  of  pupils :  Thirteen  to  sixteen 
years.) 

Aim  of  the  Course 

1.  To  influence  all  the  youth,  who  have  not 
previously  made  the  decision,  to  accept  and  confess 
Jesus  Christ  as  a  personal  Saviour. 

2.  To  lead  to  the  practical  recognition  of  the  duty 
and  responsibility  of  personal  Christian  living,  and 
to  organize  the  conflicting  impulses  of  life  so  as  to 
develop  habits  of  Christian  service. 


Studies  in  the  Departments  109 

Outline  of  the  Material 

First  Year 
I.     Leaders  of  Israel — Biographical  Studies  in  the 
Old  Testament,  with  the   Geographical  and 
Historical  Background.     Lessons  I  to  39. 
n.     Religious  Leaders  in  North  American  History. 

Lessons  40  to  48. 
in.     Temperance  Leaders  in  North  American  His- 
tory.    Lessons  49  to  52. 

Second  Year 
(Biographical  Studies) 
I.     Introductory :  Jesus  the  Leader  of  Men.     Les- 
sons I  to  5. 
II.     Companions  of  Jesus.     Lessons  6  to  21. 

TTT      T-    ^    r-L.  '  ..•      T      J  \  Lessons  22  to  42. 

III.     Early  Christian  Leaders.    |  Lessons  22  to  31. 

j^     j  John  the  Baptist.     Lessons  43  to  52. 

(  Later  Christian  Leaders.     Lessons  32  to  39. 
V.     Alexander    Mackay — A    Modern    Missionary 
Leader.     Lessons  40  to  52. 

Third  Year 
(The  Life  of  the  Man  Christ  Jesus) 
I.     Jesus   Entering   upon    His    Life  Work.     Les- 
sons I  to  13. 
II.     Jesus  in  the  Midst  of  Popularity.     Lessons  14 

to  26. 
III.     Jesus  Facing  Opposition  and  Death.     Lessons 

27  to  39. 
jY     j  The  Teachings  of  Jesus.     Lessons  40  to  52. 
I  David  Livingstone.     Lessons  40  to  52. 

Fourth  Year 
(Studies  in  Christian  Living) 
L     What  it  Means  to  be  a  Christian.     Lessons  I 
to  13. 


no       The  Present-Day  Sunday  School 

II.     Special  Problems  of  Christian  Living.     Lessons 
14  to  26. 

III.  The  Christian  and  the  Church.     Lessons   27 

to  39. 

IV.  The  Word  of  God  in  Life.     Lessons  40  to  52. 


Program 

The  making  of  programs  is  a  fine  art  which  calls 
for  practice  and  training.  We  hear  much  insistence 
upon  variety  in  programs.  This  variety  does  not 
mean  that  the  general  structure  of  the  program  is  to 
be  continuously  changing.  There  may  be  advan- 
tage in  using  continually  the  same  general  outline 
while  the  needed  variety  is  secured  by  endless  re- 
adjustments and  adaptations. 

Supposing  that  the  Intermediate  Department  is 
permitted  to  have  its  own  opening  and  closing  ex- 
ercises, a  privilege  upon  which  Intermediate  workers 
will  probably  more  and  more  insist,  the  following 
items  similar  to  those  mentioned  for  the  Junior  pro- 
gram will  need  to  have  place. 

1.  Worship  (15  minutes). 

Singing,  Bible-reading,  prayer,  etc. 

2.  Instruction  (35  minutes). 

Teaching  the  lesson  of  the  day,  expressional 
work,  supplemental  instruction  in  temper- 
ance and  missions. 

3.  Fellowship  (10  minutes). 

Reference  to  absentees,  sickness  or  distress, 
birthdays,  returned  pupils,  pupils  who  have 
recently  confessed  Christ,  etc. 


Studies  in  the  Departments  ill 

4.  Business  (10  minutes). 

Make  announcements,  distribute  papers,  take 
offering,  mark  pupils,  etc. 

5.  Worship  (5  minutes). 

Standard 

It  will  be  observed  that  for  the  Intermediate  and 
Senior  Departments  we  give  no  standards.  The 
standards  used  in  the  former  years  have  been  gener- 
ally discredited  and  discarded.  The  basis  upon  which 
they  were  formed  has  been  called  in  question,  inas- 
much as  they  dealt  with  methods  rather  than  prin* 
ciples,  and  thus  largely  failed  in  real  teaching  value. 
The  Sunday-School  Council  of  Evangelical  Denomi- 
nations, which  in  some  sense  represents  the  religious 
denominations  of  America  in  their  Sunday-school 
work,  has  made  some  progress  in  the  erection  of 
standards.  Standards  for  the  Elementary  Depart- 
ments and  for  the  Adult  Department  have  been 
erected,  and  are  presented  in  this  book  in  the  chap- 
ters on  these  various  departments.  Committees  from 
the  Sunday-School  Council  are  at  work  on  standards 
for  the  Secondary  Division,  and  it  is  expected  that 
they  will  report  their  findings  at  the  next  annual 
meeting  of  the  Council  in  191 8. 

The  Sunday-School  Field  Workers  of  the  Southern 
Baptist  Convention  have  issued  "  The  Advanced 
Standard  for  Sunday  Schools  in  Baptist  Churches." 
This  Advanced  Standard  for  the  Sunday  school 
comprises  special  standards  for  all  departments  in- 
cluding the  Cradle  Roll  and  the  Home  Department. 
Class  standards  are  given  from  the  Junior  up  to  the 


112        The  Present-Day  Sunday  School 

Adult  Department.  Booklet  giving  this  compre- 
hensive advanced  standard  for  the  Sunday  school 
may  be  secured  from  the  Baptist  Sunday-School 
Board,  i6i  Eighth  Avenue,  N.,  Nashville,  Tenn. 

References  : 

(See  also  list  suggested  for  Junior  workers.) 

Lewis,  "  The  Intermediate  Worker  and  His  Work." 
55  cents. 

Hall,    "  Adolescence."     2  vols.  $7.50. 

Hall,  <*  Youth,  Its  Education,  Regimen,  and  Hygiene." 
(An  abridgement  of  the  superb  work  on  Adolescence.)     ;^i.50. 

Kirtley,  "  That  Boy  of  Yours.'*     $  i  .00. 

Slattery,  "  The  Girl  in  Her  Teens.'*      50  cents. 

Slattery,  "The  Girl  and  Her  Religion."     ^i.oo. 

Flake  and  Leavell,  '*  Organized  Classes  in  Baptist  Sunday 
Schools."  Pamphlet  free  on  application  to  Baptist  Sunday- 
School  Board,  Nashville,  Tenn. 


XI 

THE  SENIOR  DEPARTMENT 

THIS  department  includes  young  people 
seventeen,  eighteen,  nineteen  and  twenty 
years  of  age.  It  will  be  hardly  possible  to 
draw  a  distinct  age  line  between  this  and  the  Adult 
Department,  though  the  lines  in  general  should  be 
kept  clear. 

Strangely  enough,  this  department,  composed  of 
the  young  people  in  the  last  formative  stages,  has 
been  last  of  all  to  receive  recognition  and  emphasis. 
The  modern  Adult  Class  Movement  and  the  enthu- 
siasm aroused  for  large  adult  classes  has  all  but 
swamped  the  Senior  Department.  Dr.  Edward  S. 
Lewis  has  noted  this :  "  A  common  observation  in 
a  Sunday  school  shows  a  bright  and  blessed  company 
of  Beginners.  They  are  crowding  their  room  and 
calling  for  larger  quarters.  It  is  usually  the  same 
with  the  Primaries.  There  is  usually  inspiration 
here.  But  the  Juniors  show  a  little  falling  off,  and 
the  Intermediates  more.  There  are  adult  classes 
pretty  well  maintained,  especially  of  late,  under  the 
stimulus  of  the  new  movement  for  adults ;  but  the 
Seniors  are  few  and  far  between." 

Special  care  and  skill  are  needed  in  the  manage- 
ment of  pupils  as  they  pass  from  the  Intermediate 

"3 


1 1 4       The  Present-Day  Sunday  School 

Department.  It  is  to  be  feared  that  these  young 
people  are  all  too  often  passed,  we  should  hardly  say 
"  promoted/'  into  classes  which  range  far  beyond 
their  age.  Hurtful  as  this  is,  it  is  perhaps  natural 
and  possibly  inevitable  until  we  set  up  with  clear 
limits  and  careful  grading  the  Senior  Department. 
Close  of  kin  to  this  wrong  tendency  is  the  forming 
of  Junior  Berean,  Junior  Baraca,  and  the  various 
"  Junior "  classes  without  careful  regard  for  proper 
grouping,  and  without  proper  arrangement  for  pro- 
motions. These  young  people  would  better  have 
class  organization  with  names  and  schemes  especially 
adapted  to  them. 

A  further  difficulty  in  keeping  clear  and  distinct 
the  lines  of  organization  in  the  Senior  Department 
lies  in  the  fact  that  this  department  is  rarely  per- 
mitted to  enjoy  its  own  departmental  room.  With- 
out such  room  or  some  suitable  provision  for  depart- 
mental assembly  and  program  we  will  necessarily 
experience  difficulty  in  maintaining  distinct  and  clear 
the  hnes  of  the  Senior  Department.  In  the  chapter 
on  "  Sunday-School  Architecture  "  the  author  makes 
plea  for  such  special  provision  and  in  the  drawings  at 
the  close  of  the  chapter  desirable  departmental  and 
class  rooms  for  Seniors  are  shown.  With  the  rapid 
increase  of  wealth  in  our  country  and  the  widening 
vision  of  the  educational  possibilities  and  importance 
of  the  Sunday  school,  it  is  not  too  much  to  hope  that 
the  churches  will,  in  increasing  numbers,  make  full 
provision  for  each  department  to  enjoy  its  own  sep- 
arate assembly  and  program. 


Studies  in  the  Departments  115 

The  Senior  Pupil. — Senior  pupils  offer  certain  pe- 
culiar conditions  of  which  the  Sunday-school  teacher 
must  take  careful  account.  As  hfe  advances  indi- 
viduahty  becomes  increasingly  marked  and  there  is 
growing  necessity  to  give  personal  attention  and 
study  to  each  member  of  the  class.  In  general,  the 
following  things  may  be  said  of  the  Senior  pupil : 

(i)  This  is  the  period  when  the  social  nature  de- 
velops and  when  the  desire  for  social  hfe  is  strongest. 
These  are  the  years  most  frequently  given  to  the 
quest  of  pleasure,  years  when  the  zest  for  amusement 
seems  strongest.  The  amusement  zone  is  a  zone  of 
peril.  Amusement  problems  are  preeminent  prob- 
lems. Countless  numbers  of  young  people  come  on 
trouble  here.  How  they  need  the  companionship  of 
noble  spirits  who  have  not  lost  the  flavor  of  their 
youth  and  who  can  enter  into  the  lives  of  immature 
boys  and  girls  !  The  Sunday  school  which  has  an 
adequate  building  with  suitable  rooms  and  equip- 
ment may  minister  largely  to  the  young  people  in 
their  social  needs.  There  should  be  a  reading  room 
containing  stationery  and  the  varied  types  of  liter- 
ature needed  by  the  young  people.  This  room 
should  be  open  at  all  times.  Rooms  for  social  life 
should  be  available  under  proper  conditions.  Pro- 
vision for  athletics  can  usually  be  arranged  more 
satisfactorily  under  other  auspices  than  the  Sunday 
school,  though  some  Sunday  schools  have  entered 
this  field. 

In  the  words  of  Miss  Slattery,  "  Man,  is  social. 
He    must    have   companionships   and   pleasures   in 


ii6       The  Present-Day  Sunday  School 

common  with  his  kind.  Only  when  physically  de- 
ficient, mentally  deformed,  abnormal,  does  he  become 
anti-social.  This  is  true  all  through  life  and  espe- 
cially true  in  adolescence  when  nature  is  most  keenly 
conscious  of  elemental  powers  and  passions. 

"  The  girl  who  loves  and  seeks  soHtude  contin- 
ually is  ill  mentally,  physically,  or  spiritually,  and 
needs  watchful,  sympathetic  care,  which  shall  dis- 
cover the  cause  of  her  morbidness  and  help  her  to 
escape  from  it."  * 

(2)  The  Senior  pupil  is  in  the  period  when  love 
between  the  sexes  usually  develops.  The  teacher 
must  not  overlook  this  fact  with  its  varied  bearing  on 
the  rounding  out  of  the  character  and  with  its  pos- 
sible effects  on  all  future  life.  Luther  A.  Weigle 
treats  with  fine  discernment  the  nature  of  adolescence 
and  says  in  this  connection  :  "  It  is  true  that  the  sex- 
instincts  are  susceptible  of  grave  abuse,  and  that 
passion  may  lead  to  the  worst  of  sins.  Yet  life  has 
no  greater  spiritual  force  than  love  for  one  of  the  op- 
posite sex.  It  lifts  the  self  above  all  that  is  carnal 
and  gross.  It  makes  selfishness  impossible.  It  gains 
life  through  losing  life.  It  brings  new  strength  to 
resist  temptation,  and  puts  a  new  joy  into  work. 
The  instinct  to  make  a  home  and  to  Hve  for  one's 
children  is  sacred.  It  is  God's  revelation  of  His  own 
nature  within  us.  Too  early  marriages,  of  course, 
are  unfortunate ;  and  the  conditions  of  modern  Hfe 
compel  the  young  man  of  to-day  to  wait  longer  than 
his  father  did.     Yet  he  is  blessed  who  falls  really  in 

1  Margaret  Slattery,  «  The  Girl  in  Her  Teens,"  pages  62,  63. 


Studies  in  the  Departments  1 1 7 


love  with  the  right  girl.  His  time  of  waiting  and 
working  will  be  one  of  spiritual  uplift."  * 

(3)  This  is  the  age  when  doubt  is  most  likely  to 
appear.  If  in  the  earlier  years  religion  has  been  pre- 
sented more  as  a  system  of  dogmas  than  as  a  life 
which  nourishes  and  sustains,  the  youth  will  now 
probably  come  on  serious  trouble.  To  quote  the 
words  of  G.  Stanley  Hall,  **  The  gravest  doubts  of 
this  kind  are  at  first  of  certain  miracles,  the  morality 
of  some  of  the  Old  Testament  heroes,  and  perhaps 
of  Jehovah,  or  the  goodness  of  God  Himself  in  per- 
mitting suffering  and  sending  so  many  to  hell, 
special  answers  to  prayer,  the  Judgment  Day,  etc. 
Later  comes  doubt  of  the  Trinity  and  the  deity  of 
Jesus,  His  resurrection,  supernatural  birth,  foreordi- 
nation,  and  immortality.  Where  the  clay  of  dogma 
is  tramped  down  too  hard  about  the  roots  of  the 
growing  soul  either  the  latter  is  arrested  or  else  the 
doctrines  are  ruptured."  ^ 

If,  in  the  earlier  years,  things  have  been  taught  as 
fact  and  science  which  do  not  commend  themselves 
as  such  to  the  thoughtful  maturing  mind,  there  will 
be  danger  that,  in  throwing  overboard  any  worthless 
chaff,  the  good  grains  of  faith  may  go  also.  It  is 
usually  better  not  to  argue  or  antagonize.  That  was 
a  wise  teacher  who  said  to  the  doubting  pupil : 
"  You  have  difificulties  about  the  miracles  and  the 
divinity  of  Christ  ?  I  have  no  such  difficulties,  but  I 
sympathize  with  you.     Accept  what  you  can  con- 

*  Luther  A.  Weigle,  "  The  Pupil  and  the  Teacher,"  page  63,. 
'  G.  Stanley  Hall,  "  Adolescence,"  Vol.  II,  page  317. 


ll8        The  Present- Day  Sunday  School 

cerning  Christ.  If  to  you  He  is  a  good  man,  obey 
and  love  Him  as  such.  Gradually  He  will  become 
more  to  you." 

(4)  The  Senior  pupil  is  in  the  period  when  great 
life-decisions  must  be  made.  The  question  of  a  life 
calling  is  frequently  settled  before  the  close  of  the 
Intermediate  period,  but  usually  this  decision  is  made 
during  the  years  from  seventeen  to  twenty.  Whether 
direct  help  can  be  given  in  this  time  when  the  choice 
of  a  life-work  is  being  made,  the  teacher  must  de- 
termine. Surely  the  wise  teacher  can  steady  the 
heart  and  strengthen  the  purpose  to  decide  the  ques- 
tion on  high  planes.  Men  and  women  who  have 
passed  beyond  this  period  and  are  walking  life's  way 
with  firm  tread  find  it  difficult  to  appreciate  the  per- 
plexity and  difficulty  which  our  youths  feel  at  this 
point. 

This  is  the  time  when  young  men  may  choose  the 
ministry  as  a  life-calling  or  when  young  men  and 
women  may  be  induced  to  offer  themselves  for 
special  service  in  the  field  of  religious  or  moral  re- 
form and  uplift.  The  young  man  is  probably  imbued 
with  the  idea  that  God  "  calls  "  in  a  special  way  to 
the  ministry.  He  may  wish  to  know  in  what  such 
call  consists  and  how  he  may  know  whether  it  has 
come  to  him.  He  will  be  helped  by  knowing  that 
God  may  make  such  call  in  simple  and  practical 
fashion.  The  need  of  the  world  about  us  and  be- 
yond us,  the  possession  of  gifts  needful  for  the 
ministry,  the  impressions  and  convictions  in  this 
matter  which  may  be  in  the  hearts  of  devout  men 


Studies  in  the  Departments  1 1 9 

and  women,  these  may  be  the  means  by  which  God 
will  issue  His  call.  To  whom  is  God  Hkely  first  to 
reveal  His  will — to  the  immature  youth  or  to  the 
mature  and  prayerful  believers  by  whom  the  youth 
is  surrounded  ? 

Dr.  Lewis  teaches  well  in  the  following  incident :  * 
"  One  day,  during  the  Boer  War,  a  train  was  just 
starting  from  Waterloo  Station  in  London,  when  a 
fine  strong  man,  hot  and  breathless,  leaped  into  a 
carriage  and  sank  down  into  a  seat,  saying,  *  I'm 
called  ! '  He  soon  fell  asleep,  and  his  fellow  pas- 
sengers noticed  that  he  was  a  fireman  and  was  black 
with  coal-dust  and  oil.  When  he  awoke,  he  ex- 
claimed again,  *  I'm  called.'  He  was  one  of  the 
reserves  and  had  got  the  word  to  join  his  regiment 
at  Aldershot.  He  did  not  hesitate  a  moment.  He 
did  not  wait  even  to  wash  himself  or  to  put  on  clean 
clothes,  but  obeyed  at  once  the  call  of  his  king. 
Suppose  you  had  been  trying  to  teach  one  of  your 
boys  the  meaning  of  the  call  of  God  and  to  enjoin 
the  duty  of  obedience  thereto  ;  and  suppose  you  had 
been  in  the  compartment  with  that  fireman :  would 
you  have  needed  to  labor  with  the  boy?  Would 
you  have  had  to  enter  into  a  long  series  of  explana- 
tions and  questions  ?  Or  would  you  have  but  fixed 
his  attention  upon  the  man,  his  haste,  his  untidiness, 
his  eagerness,  and  simply  said,  *  So,  my  boy,  your 
King's  call  has  come  to  you '  ?  " 

(5)     The  Senior  pupil  is  assuming  the  burdens  and 

*  Edward  S.  Lewis,  *'  The  Intermediate  Worker  and  His  Work," 
page  73. 


120        The  Present- Day  Sunday  School 

responsibilities  of  real  life.  The  diversity  among 
the  pupils  at  this  point  constitutes  a  chief  difficulty 
of  the  teacher.  In  the  same  class,  it  may  be,  will 
be  youths  who  have  taken  <*  a  job "  or  secured  a 
position  and  who  walk  beneath  heavy  burdens, 
youths  in  the  high  school,  light-hearted  and  gay,  and 
possibly  also  young  people  in  the  midst  of  college 
life.  Certainly  these  various  classes  ought  to  be  in 
groups  to  themselves,  but  this  is  not  always  practi- 
cable. 

Professor  Athearn  gives  some  suggestive  and  in- 
forming figures  which  may  well  furnish  food  for 
thought,* 

"  Massachusetts  found  that  25,000  boys  and  girls  in 
the  state  between  the  ages  of  fourteen  and  sixteen  were 
not  in  school.  It  appointed  a  commission  to  ascertain 
the  cause.  The  report  of  this  commission  shows  that 
five-sixths  of  these  boys  and  girls  had  not  completed 
the  grammar  school ;  one-half  had  not  completed  the 
seventh  grade  and  one-fourth  had  not  completed  the 
sixth  grade.  The  report  also  showed  that  to  every 
one  that  goes  into  an  occupation  that  is  worth  while, 
more  than  four  enter  a  mill  or  factory,  or  don  a  mes- 
senger suit,  or  wear  a  cash  girl's  uniform.  They 
seldom  receive  more  than  five  dollars  a  week  and 
they  reach  the  height  of  their  power  before  they  are 
twenty. 

"  Government  statistics  for  1907  show  that  in 
seventy-two  of  the  seventy-eight  cities  in  the  United 
States   which   have    50,000   inhabitants,  more   than 

» Walter  S,  Athearn,  "  The  Church  School,"  pages  263,  265. 


Studies  in  the  Departments  121 

one-third  of  all  the  girls  between  sixteen  and  twenty 
years  of  age  are  at  work.  In  thirty-six  of  these  cities 
more  than  one-half  are  earning  their  living,  and  in 
eight  cities  the  percentages  rise  as  high  as  seventy- 
seven  per  cent,  of  the  total  number  of  girls.  At  the 
present  time  in  the  United  States  6,000,000  women  are 
gainfully  employed.  Some  skilled  industries  depend 
entirely  upon  their  labor.  The  girl  is  the  future 
mother  of  the  race.  Her  health  and  training  should, 
therefore,  be  matters  of  solicitude." 

The  teacher,  both  in  the  class  and  in  every-day 
touch  with  his  pupils,  will  wish  to  know  as  intimately 
as  possible  the  special  conditions  of  each  pupil  and 
will  seek  to  make  the  class  life  minister  to  the  needs 
which  may  exist.  The  teacher  is  not  any  longer,  if 
he  has  ever  been,  chiefly  an  instructor,  nor  is  the 
class  work  to  be  chiefly  the  imparting  of  information. 
These  youths  need  strength,  guidance,  friendship. 

(6)  This  is  an  age  of  great  energy  and  of  possi- 
bilities for  service.  Pupils  in  this  period  are  capable 
of  the  highest  achievements.  Luther  A.  Weigle  tells 
the  story  well.* 

"  Much  of  the  world's  best  work  has  been  done  by 
young  men.  Napoleon  was  a  lieutenant  at  fifteen, 
and  by  study  made  himself  the  master  he  was  of  the 
science  of  war.  He  was  but  twenty-four  when  he  as- 
tonished the  world  at  the  siege  of  Toulon.  Lafayette 
sailed  to  the  help  of  the  American  colonies  at  nine- 
teen. Byron  published  his  first  volume  at  seventeen  ; 
Bryant  wrote  '  Thanatopsis  '  at  the  same  age.    Shelley 

1  Luther  A.  Weigle, ««  The  Pupil  and  the  Teacher,"  page  58. 


122        The  Present-Day  Sunday  School 

had  published  romances  and  poems  before  he  was 
eighteen,  and  at  that  age  was  expelled  from  Oxford 
for  publishing  a  tract  on  '  The  Necessity  of  Atheism/ 
Pascal  discovered  geometry  for  himself  at  twelve,  and 
at  sixteen  wrote  a  treatise  on  conic  sections." 

It  is  a  fine  art  to  provide  these  young  people  with 
adequate  tasks.  Some  one  tells  of  a  young  woman, 
returning  from  college  and  asking  her  pastor  to  assign 
her  to  some  service.  The  pastor,  as  if  it  were  a 
happy  thought,  said,  "  Take  as  your  duty  the  placing 
of  flowers  on  the  pulpit  on  Sunday  mornings."  An 
hour  later  the  young  woman  said  to  her  close  com- 
panion, **  I  did  that  when  I  was  ten  years  of  age  and 
thought  it  was  fine.  I  am  a  woman  now  with  a  col- 
lege education  and  when  I  come  offering  my  life  for 
service,  I  am  assigned  a  child's  task."  Adequate 
tasks  for  these  vigorous  restless  spirits  are  not  easy 
to  find,  but  find  them  we  must  if  we  are  to  serve  the 
highest  interests  of  these  energetic  and  resourceful 
youths. 

(7)  This  is  a  period  of  special  temptations.  These 
people  are  coming  out  from  the  control  and  restraint 
of  the  home  and  are  beginning  to  find  themselves  in 
the  larger  work  of  life.  Young  men  will  meet  with 
temptation  to  drink,  to  use  tobacco,  to  gamble,  to 
choose  evil  associates.  Young  women  will  meet 
temptations  more  insidious  and  persistent  and  involv- 
ing more  of  peril  than  ordinarily  come  at  other  periods 
of  life.  Professor  Athearn  lists  the  conditions  which 
make  for  peril  at  this  period  as  follows  : ' 

1  Walter  S.  Athearn,  "  The  Church  School,"  page  248. 


Studies  in  the  Departments  123 

"  Loss  of  connection  with  religious  agencies  be- 
cause of  new  environment. 

"  Absorption  in  new  work. 

"  Financial  success  which  tends  to  destroy  a  sense 
of  the  need  of  God. 

"  The  influence  of  non-religious  companions. 

"  The  growing  tendency  to  doubt. 

"  The  dividing  of  interests  with  many  other  clubs, 
societies,  etc.,  which  demand  portions  of  the  young 
people's  time. 

"  The  church  must  overcome  all  these  unfavorable 
influences  and  make  sure  that  the  young  people  do 
not  lose  their  God  by  forgetting  Him." 

Concerning  crime  and  its  increase  during  this 
period,  G.  Stanley  Hall,  who  treats  the  whole  subject 
at  length  and  with  his  usual  discrimination,  says  : ' 

"  In  all  civilized  lands,  criminal  statistics  show  two 
sad  and  significant  facts  :  First,  that  there  is  a  marked 
increase  of  crime  at  the  age  of  twelve  to  fourteen,  not 
in  crimes  of  one,  but  of  all  kinds,  and  that  this  in- 
crease continues  for  a  number  of  years.  While  the 
percentages  of  certain  grave  crimes  increase  to  ma- 
ture manhood,  adolescence  is  preeminently  the  crimi- 
nal age  when  most  first  commitments  occur  and  most 
vicious  careers  are  begun.  The  second  fact  is  that 
the  proportion  of  juvenile  delinquents  seems  to  be 
everywhere  increasing  and  crime  is  more  and  more 
precocious." 

It  is  hardly  necessary  to  point  out  the  bearing  of 
this  pressure  of  temptation  upon  adolescents  as  it 
*  G.  Stanley  Hall,  "  Adolescence,"  Volume  I,  page  325. 


1 24       The  Present-Day  Sunday  School 

affects  the  work  of  the  Sunday-school  teacher.  A 
strong,  wholesome  teacher  may  supplement  the  efforts 
of  the  home  and  the  school  and  other  agencies  in  tiding 
young  Hfe  over  the  difficulties  of  this  crucial  time. 

(8)  Growing  out  of  all  that  has  been  said,  and  yet 
requiring  special  emphasis  here,  is  the  fact  that  young 
people  in  the  Senior  Department  are  marked  by  in- 
dependence and  self-assertiveness.  They  are  coming 
into  a  new  sense  of  their  own  responsibility  and  im- 
portance. The  very  novelty  of  their  dawning  inde- 
pendence makes  them  more  jealous  of  its  exercise. 
They  cannot  now  be  managed  as  children  nor  even 
as  boys  and  girls.  Their  individuality  must  be  fully 
recognized  and  they  must  be  allowed  opportunity  for 
their  own  choices  and  initiative.  Herein  is  one  of  the 
reasons  why  our  schools  sustain  such  heavy  losses  at 
this  time :  we  fail  to  let  our  plans  and  methods  ex- 
pand to  take  account  of  the  attitudes  of  these  strong 
young  people.  This  question  is  developed  in  the 
chapter  on  "  The  Organized  Class  "  and  does  not  re- 
quire further  discussion  here. 

(9)  The  Senior  Department  is  the  supreme  oppor- 
tunity for  training  prospective  Sunday-school  teach- 
ers. Until  pupils  have  come  out  of  the  Intermediate 
Department,  nothing  should  be  permitted  to  break 
the  regular  curriculum  of  their  Bible  study.  When 
they  enter  the  Senior  Department,  the  various  classes 
may  well  be  permitted  elective  courses.  So  long  as 
the  whole  school  was  studying  a  common  lesson  there 
were  difficulties  involved  in  permitting  any  depart- 
ment or  any  class  to  break  away  from  the  general 


Studies  in  the  Departments  125 

scneduie.  The  coming  of  the  graded  lessons  and  the 
definite  effort  to  provide  for  all  pupils  lessons  which 
will  best  minister  to  their  present  or  future  usefulness 
change  this  completely. 

There  is  a  feeling,  for  which  there  seems  to  be  good 
foundation,  that,  in  all  classes,  the  Sunday-school 
studies  ought  to  keep  close  to  the  Bible.  A  large 
part  of  all  the  teacher-training  courses  now  offered  is 
devoted  to  the  Bible.  Certain  portions  of  the  Bible 
may  be  studied,  or  the  doctrinal  content,  or  the  evan- 
gelistic or  missionary  message.  Any  of  these  hues 
of  study  offered  in  the  training  courses  may  well  oc- 
cupy a  Senior  class  for  a  season,  or  possibly  even  for 
a  succession  of  years. 

Organization. — The  Senior  Department  should  be 
separately  organized  and  its  lines  should  be  kept  dis- 
tinct. Young  people  in  this  period  are  not  adults. 
They  represent  a  distinct  type  of  life  with  special 
needs,  and  can  best  be  taught  and  trained  in  a  sepa- 
rate department.  This  department  should  have  its 
own  superintendent,  who  may  also  be  a  teacher,  as 
many  teachers  as  are  needed,  a  secretary  and  treas- 
urer, together  with  such  other  officers  as  local  condi- 
tions may  seem  to  justify.  The  size  of  the  classes 
may  vary  widely.  Very  large  classes  may  gain  in 
matters  of  fellowship  and  general  interest,  but  they 
usually  lose  as  regards  real  instruction.  It  is  not 
necessary  to  have  a  class  for  each  age.  Young  men 
should  be  in  a  class  together,  usually  with  a  man  in 
charge  as  teacher.  Young  women  will  be  in  classes 
together,  usually  with  a  woman  as  teacher. 


126        The  Present- Day  Sunday  School 

Equipment. — While  a  special  assembly  room  for 
this  department  is  desirable,  it  is  probable  that  this 
ideal  will  not  be  attainable  in  many  Sunday  schools. 
Special  class  rooms  are  necessary  in  order  to  get  the 
best  results.  In  this  department  the  classes  are  or- 
ganized and  they  may  be  expected  to  conduct  wor- 
ship and  carry  forward  a  varied  program  of  activities 
in  addition  to  their  regular  Bible  study.  For  discus- 
sion of  equipment  needed  in  Senior  class  rooms,  see 
chapter  on  "  The  Organized  Class." 

Lesson  Material. — As  indicating  the  kind  of  lesson 
material  which  the  International  Lesson  Committee 
has  deemed  suitable  for  Senior  pupils,  we  give  the 
outline  of  the  International  Graded  Lessons  for  the 
Senior  Department. 

First  Year 

I.     The  World  as  a  Field  for  Christian  Service. 

Lessons  1-26. 
II.     The  Problems  of  Youth  in  Social  Life.    Les- 
sons 27-39. 

III.  The  Book  of  Ruth.     Lessons  40-42. 

IV.  The  Epistle  of  James.     Lessons  43-52. 

Second  Year 
I.     The    Rise  of   the    Hebrew    Nation.      Lessons 

II.     The  Hebrew  Monarchy  and  the  Kingdom  of 
Israel.     Lessons  14-26. 

III.  The  Kingdom  of  Judah,  the  Exile  and  the  Re- 

stored Jewish  Community.      Lessons  27-39. 

IV.  Studies  in  Hebrew  Religious  Literature.     Les- 

sons 40-52. 


Studies  in  the  Departments  127 

Third  Year 

I.     The    Historical    Background    of   Christianity. 

Lessons  1-5. 
II.     The   Eariy   History  of  Christianity.     Lessons 

6-13. 

III.  Christianity  Established  Among  the  Gentiles. 

Lessons  14-16. 

IV.  The  Conflict  with  Judaism  and  Paganism.    Les- 

sons 17-26. 
V.     The    Interpretation    and    Defense    of    Chris- 
tianity.    Lessons  27-39. 
VI.     The  Apostolic  Church  a  Brotherhood.     Les- 
sons 40-52. 

Fourth  Year 

Introductory.     Lesson  i. 
I.     The  Family.     Lessons  2-6. 
II.     The  Community.     Lessons  7-13. 

III.  The  State.     Lessons  14-19. 

IV.  The  Church.     Lessons  20-26. 

V.     The  Industrial  Order.     Lessons  27-39. 
VI.     Bible   Spokesmen    for  the   Kingdom   of  God. 
Lessons  40-52. 

Program. — The  great  majority  of  schools  will  of 
necessity  combine  at  least  all  of  the  upper  depart- 
ments of  the  Sunday  school  in  the  opening  and  closing 
exercises.  Some  schools  will  from  choice  combine 
the  Intermediate,  Senior,  and  Adult  Departments 
for  such  exercises.  The  great  Bushwick  Avenue 
Methodist  Sunday  School  in  Brooklyn,  New  York, 
which  has  a  separate  room  for  each  department,  holds 
separate  departmental  worship  throughout,  both  in 
opening  and  closing.  This  is  becoming  common  in 
the  larger  schools.     There  are  manifest  advantages 


128       The  Present-Day  Sunday  School 

in  this  plan.  Some  schools  have  found  it  advisable 
to  have  the  Intermediate  and  Senior  Departments 
together  for  the  program  of  worship  and  expression. 
Much  might  be  said  in  favor  of  this  plan.  Clearly 
we  have  not  gone  far  enough  in  developing  and  test- 
ing plans  regarding  these  departments  to  dogmatize 
as  to  what  plans  are  best.  Probably  no  plan  is 
**  best."  The  schools  of  various  sizes  and  types  will 
face  these  problems  and  deal  with  them  according 
to  local  conditions,  while  out  of  the  experiences  of 
the  schools  certain  policies  and  plans  will  gradually 
emerge  as  tested  and  approved. 

As  we  train  workers  for  special  departments  and 
develop  plans  for  coordinating  instruction  and  ex- 
pression, the  tendency  towards  special  departmental 
programs  will  doubtless  grow. 

In  the  Intermediate,  Senior,  and  Adult  Depart- 
ments individuals  and  classes  may  be  largely  utilized 
in  the  making  of  the  program,  especially  if  there  is 
separate  departmental  worship. 

References  : 

(See  list  suggested  for  Intermediate  Workers.) 

Addams,  "The  Spirit  of  Youth  and  the  City  Streets."  50 
cents. 

Slattery,  "The  Girl  and  Her  Religion."     $1.00 

Lewis,  "The  Senior  Worker  and  His  Work."      55  cents. 

Scarborough,  **  Recruits  for  World  Conquests."     75  cents. 

See  also  books  mentioned  at  the  close  of  chapter  on  "  The 
Organized  Bible  Class." 


XII 
THE  ADULT  DEPARTMENT 

THIS  department  includes  all  members  of  the 
Sunday  school  twenty-one  years  of  age  and 
up.  As  was  suggested  in  connection  with 
the  Senior  Department,  the  lines  can  hardly  be  clearly 
drawn  on  the  age  basis.  The  lines  should  be  drawn, 
and  clearly,  between  the  two  departments,  but  other 
considerations  than  mere  age  must  be  considered. 

The  coming  of  men  and  women  in  great  numbers 
into  the  Sunday  school  has  made  a  new  day.  Once 
designed  chiefly  for  children  and  composed  largely 
of  children,  the  Sunday  school  has  come  to  be  as 
broad  as  human  life,  ministering  at  every  stage  from 
the  cradle  to  the  grave.  The  coming  of  adults  has 
brought  added  meaning  and  dignity.  The  children 
themselves,  the  churches,  and  society  in  general,  have 
given  the  Sunday  school  a  new  and  higher  rating 
since  men  and  women  came  to  constitute  a  large  part 
of  its  membership.  Under  ordinary  conditions,  this 
department,  since  it  comprises  all  the  mature  mem- 
bers, ought  to  have  the  largest  enrollment  in  the 
school.  In  fact  some  of  our  larger  schools  have  as 
many  members  in  this  department  as  in  any  other 
two  departments,  while  some  schools  have  as  many 
in  the  Adult  Department  as  in  all  other  departments 
combined. 

139 


130       The  Present-Day  Sunday  School 

This  is  the  last  of  the  departments  to  receive  at- 
tention and  development  in  the  modern  scheme  of 
organization.  During  the  first  hundred  years  of  Sun- 
day-school history,  adults  constituted  a  negligible 
part  in  Sunday-school  life.  There  was  from  the 
earliest  beginning  the  historic  "  Bible  Class  "  for  such 
adults  as  might  wish  to  attend.  The  Primary  De- 
partment was  the  first  to  be  set  up  in  distinctness. 
Then  came  the  Beginners,  as  it  was  seen  that  special 
provision  must  be  made  for  the  kindergarten  age. 
Then  came  the  Junior  Department  as  conviction 
grew  that  boys  and  girls  must  be  separated  from 
younger  children.  Then  came  the  Intermediate  and 
Senior  Departments,  and  last  of  all  the  Adult  De- 
partment. A  closer  and  more  deliberate  study  of 
pupil  life  has  brought,  in  some  quarters,  the  con- 
viction that  the  age  divisions  between  the  depart- 
ments were  not  happily  fixed.  Various  readjust- 
ments are  suggested  and  advocated.  For  practical 
purposes  the  departmental  divisions  which  we  have 
suggested  and  which  have  been  widely  adopted  in  all 
parts  of  the  world  will  suffice.  Certainly  individual 
schools  will  exercise  the  fullest  discretion,  while  for  a 
long  time  to  come  these  generally  accepted  plans  will 
probably  continue. 

Up  to  sixteen  years  of  age,  or  the  last  year  of  the 
Intermediate  period,  grading  is  on  the  general  basis 
of  age.  From  seventeen  and  beyond,  in  the  Senior 
and  Adult  periods,  age  lines  are  more  and  more  ob- 
scured and,  while  grading  should  be  just  as  careful 
and  thorough,  other  considerations  than  age  must 


Studies  in  the  Departments  131 

have  weight.  Because  we  have  in  the  age  of  the 
pupil  a  convenient  basis  of  grading  up  through  the 
Intermediate  Department,  the  question  of  grading  is 
comparatively  simple  up  to  the  Senior  Department. 
In  the  Senior  and  Adult  Departments  there  is  the 
same  necessity  for  proper  grading  or  grouping,  but 
there  is  not  at  hand  any  simple  rule  that  may  be  al- 
ways applied.  Here  we  must  group  our  people  not 
only  on  the  basis  of  age  but  also  on  the  basis  of  con- 
geniality, of  social  preferences,  of  previous  Bible 
training,  of  general  needs,  taking  into  account  the 
proper  size  of  the  classes,  the  supply  of  teachers,  and 
many  other  practical  considerations.  Many  schools 
otherwise  fully  graded  have  never  undertaken  in  any 
serious  way  to  grade  Senior  and  Adult  pupils.  These 
are  thrown  together  in  uncertain  and  irregular 
groups,  or  they  are  allowed  to  continue  in  such 
groups  as  may  have  been  formed  by  chance  along 
through  the  years.  It  is  perhaps  well  enough  that  the 
grading  movement  should  come  up  from  the  lower 
grades  and  departments  and  that  it  should,  with  due 
deliberation,  find  its  way  into  the  Senior  and  Adult 
Departments.  We  may  look  for  interesting  devel- 
opments here  during  the  coming  years. 

Organization. — The  adults  should  constitute  a  de- 
partment with  full  organization,  comprising  a  super- 
intendent, secretary  and  treasurer.  This  does  not 
necessarily  mean  that  the  department  is  to  have 
a  room  of  its  own.  This  is  not  necessary  though  it 
is  desirable,  as  is  indicated  in  the  chapter  on  "  Archi- 
tecture."    Class  rooms  are  highly  desirable.     This 


132        The  Present-Day  Sunday  School 

department  will  probably  have  its  worship  season  in 
connection  with  the  Seniors  and  possibly  also  with 
the  Intermediates,  though  the  present  tendency  is 
towards  separate  departmental  worship.  Indeed, 
one-room  schools  will  find  it  necessary  to  hold  one 
worship  service  for  all  departments,  but  this  will  not 
prevent  the  keeping  of  the  departments  distinct  and 
separate. 

Equipment. — There  would  be  real  gain  if  this 
department  might  have  a  suitable  assembly  room  ex- 
clusively for  its  own  use.  Perhaps  the  best  that  can 
be  generally  hoped  for  is  an  assembly  room  for  the 
Senior  and  Adult  Departments.  In  any  event, 
separate  class  rooms  are  necessary  for  the  best 
work  among  adults.  These  classes  are  frequently 
large ;  they  conduct  at  least  some  opening  worship ; 
their  whole  schedule  is  such  as  to  call  for  a  separate 
room.  Where  such  rooms  cannot  be  secured,  cur- 
tained spaces  may  be  used  to  advantage.  For  dis- 
cussion of  the  equipment  and  furnishing  needed  in 
these  classes,  see  chapter  on  "  The  Organized 
Class." 

Lesson  Material. — The  International  Graded  Series 
offers  lessons  from  the  Beginners'  Department 
through  the  Senior  Department.  Thus  far  the 
Graded  Series  has  not  made  special  provision  for  the 
Adult  Department  though  special  lessons  for  adults 
are  in  process  of  preparation.  Adult  classes  may 
properly  pursue  a  wide  range  of  studies,  according 
to  the  nature  and  needs  of  the  class.  Irving  F. 
Wood,  who  discusses  the  whole  subject  with  rare 


Studies  in  the  Departments  133 

discrimination,  has  the  following  timely  word  about 
possible  adaptations  of  the  Uniform  Lesson  System.* 
"  The  system  should  be  unhesitatingly  bent,  and  if 
necessary,  broken,  to  meet  the  needs  of  the  class. 
Systems  were  made  for  men,  not  men  for  systems. 
If  a  class  becomes  interested  in  the  discussion  of  a 
subject  and  wants  to  continue  it  next  week,  why  not 
do  so,  and  let  next  week's  lesson  come  in  as  it  can  ? 
If  one  or  more  lessons  ahead  are  relatively  unprofit- 
able, why  not  drop  them  and  put  something  else  in 
their  place  ?  A  brief  course  on  some  related  subject 
will  often  send  a  class  back  to  the  lessons  with  re- 
newed vigor  and  better  appreciation  of  the  general 
course.  Most  adult  classes,  after  studying  the  Inter- 
national Uniform  Lessons  all  their  lives,  are  very 
ignorant  of  general  Biblical  subjects.  Short  courses 
on  such  subjects  as  the  formation  of  the  canon,  the 
history  of  the  English  Bible,  the  Apocrypha,  the  de- 
velopment of  prophecy,  the  relation  of  the  synoptic 
gospels  to  each  other,  prophetic,  wisdom,  or  apoca- 
lyptic writing,  will  often  be  as  fresh  as  though  the 
class  were  newly  converted  pagans.  There  is  an 
amazing  amount  of  ignorance  about  the  Bible  among 
excellent  Bible  students.  Short  courses  on  private, 
civic,  and  social  Christian  duties  are  especially  fruit- 
ful for  adult  life.  The  International  System  provides 
lessons  on  temperance.  Why  not  occasionally  put 
in  their  place,  or  by  the  side  of  them,  a  lesson  on 
political  or  business  honesty,  trying  to  find  what  it 
demands   and  what   it   forbids  in  modern  life  ?     In 

1  Irving  F.  Wood,  '♦  Adult  Class  Study,"  page  83. 


134       The  Present-Day  Sunday  School 

many  ways  the  system  may  well  be  bent  to  class 
needs,  provided  always  arrangements  are  so  made 
beforehand  that  all  the  members  know  what  to  ex- 
pect." 

The  Sunday-School  Council  of  Evangehcal  De- 
nominations has  adopted  and  the  Executive  Com- 
mittee of  the  International  Sunday-School  Associa- 
tion has  approved  the  following 

Standard  for  the  Adult  Division 

Scope 
We  define  the  Adult  Division  to  be  that  part  of 
the  modern   Sunday  school  which   cares   for  the  re- 
ligious education  of  the  adult  members  of  the  church 
and  the  church  community. 

Aims 
Realizing  the  need  of  a  careful  definition  of  the 
great  purposes  to  be  accomplished  through  the  work 
of  the  Adult  Division,  we  recommend  that  the  aims 
of  the  Adult  Division  be  stated  thus,  to  realize : 

1.  In  each  adult  life — 

(a)  A   knowledge   of  God's  will   for   the  in- 

dividual. 

(b)  An  acceptance  of  Jesus  Christ  as  personal 

Saviour  and  Lord. 

(c)  An  efficiently  trained  Christian  character. 

(d)  The  fulfilling  of  one's  whole  duty  in  Chris- 

tian service. 

2.  In  organized  capacity — the  expression  in  serv- 

ice of  the  entire  membership. 


Studies  in  the  Departments  135 

Means 
Accepting   the   above   as   a  worthy  statement  of 
aims,  we  recommend  that  the  following  means  be 
adopted  looking  to  the  realization  of  these  aims : 

/.  Organization  : 

A.  Adult  Division — 

(a)  Officers : 

(i)  An  executive  head. 

(2)  A  secretary. 

(3)  An   Executive  Committee,  composed 

of  the  Division  officers,  the  presi- 
dents of  the  classes  and  the  super- 
intendents of  departments.  This 
committee  shall  be  responsible  to  the 
Superintendent,  the  Committee  on 
Religious  Education,  or  other  prop- 
erly constituted  authority  of  the 
church. 

(b)  Duties  of  the  Executive  Committee — 

(i)  To  give  general  direction  to  the  work 

of  the  Division. 
(2)  To  superintend  extension  work  among 

the  adults  of  the  church  and  of  the 

community. 

B.  Departments — 

(a)  Where  there   are  two  or  more  of  either 

men's  or  women's  classes,  we  recom- 
mend their  federation  into  a  men's  or 
women's  department,  with  appropriate 
officers,  committees  and  activities. 

(b)  Home  Department — 
(i)  Officers: 

(a)  A  superintendent. 


136       The  Present- Day  Sunday-School 

(b)  A  secretary. 

(c)  Visitors    from   the  men's  and  the 

women's  classes  or  departments. 
It  is  desirable  that  each  class  or 
department  should  be  responsible 
for  its  own  field. 

(2)  Membership:     Those    who    for    any 

reason  cannot  regularly  attend  the 
Sunday-school  sessions. 

(3)  Scope  of  work :  To  extend  to  the  mem- 

bership the  work  in  Bible  study  and 
religious  training  done  in  the  Sun- 
day school. 

C.  Classes — 

(a)  Membership: 

(i)  Permanent  groups  based  on  sex  and 
age. 

(2)  Temporary  groups  of  pupils  brought 
together  for  elective  courses  of  study, 
such  as  (a)  Teacher  Training,  (b) 
Mission  Study,  (c)  Parents,  (d) 
Church  Leaders,  (e)  Social  Service, 
(f)  College  Students. 

(b)  Officers  :  President,  Vice-President,  Secre- 

tary, Treasurer,  and  Teacher.* 

(c)  Committees :  Executive,  Devotional,  Mem- 

bership, and  Social. 

(d)  Meetings : 

(i)  Regular  meetings  in  connection  with 
the  Sunday  school. 

(2)  Through-the-week  meetings  for  busi- 
ness, social  and  educational  purposes. 

*Fora  different  type  of  class  organization  which   the  author  es- 
pecially commends,  see  chapter  on  "  The  Organized  Bible  Class." 


Studies  in  the  Departments  137 

2.  Courses  of  Study  : 

A.  General   courses  on  the  principles  underlying 

the  Christian  life  in  its  relation  with  the 
Kingdom  of  God. 

B.  Special  courses  for  elective  study  groups  and 

for  the  educational  period  in  the  through-the- 
week  meetings  of  the  classes  or  departments, 
such  as  (a)  Teacher  Training,  (b)  Church 
Leadership,  (c)  Parent  Training,  (d)  Missions, 
(e)  Temperance,  (f)  Community  Service,  (g) 
Local  Church  Problems,  etc. 

C.  Reading  courses  to  supplement  the  general  and 

special  courses  in  reahzing  the  aims  of  the 
Adult  Division. 

J.  Religious  Training: 

Recognizing  the  fact  that  the  individual,  to  be 
trained  efficiently,  must  not  only  know  God's 
will,  but  also  know  how  to  do  God's  will,  we 
recommend  that  a  program  of  religious  train- 
ing be  carried  out  in  connection  with  the 
lesson  study  period,  such  program  to  include 
(a)  Training  in  Prayer,  (b)  Training  in  Chris- 
tian Conversation,  (c)  Training  in  the  work 
of  the  Church. 

jf.,  A  Program  of  Service  :  * 

To  provide  a  plan  for  definite  Christian  service 
we  recommend  the  following  program : 

A.  In  the  class,  to — 

(a)  Increase  class  membership. 

1  The  author  believes  that  the  organized  class  should  adhere  closely 
to  its  central  task  of  teaching  the  Bible.  Much  of  the  special  service 
outlined  here  may  well  be  assigned  to  the  young  people's  society. 


138       The  Present-Day  Sunday  School 

(b)  Maintain  and  operate  a  standard  organ- 

ization. 

(c)  Win  all  members  to  the  Christian  life. 

B.  In  the  local  church,  to — 

(a)  Secure  church  attendance. 

(b)  Provide   trained  workers    for   all   depart- 

ments of  church  work. 

(c)  Assume   some   definite   responsibility  for 

boys  and  girls. 

C.  In  the  home,  to — 

(a)  Promote  systematic  Bible  study. 

(b)  Seek  to  establish  family  worship. 

(c)  Encourage  good  general  reading  and  the 

study  of  parental  responsibilities. 

D.  In  the  community,  to — 

(a)  Assume  some  definite  social  service  task. 

(b)  Cooperate     with     other     social      service 

agencies. 

(c)  Promote  missionary  effort. 

References  : 

Barclay,  "  The  Adult  Worker  and  His  Work.'*     5 5  cents. 

Pell,  "  Our  Troublesome  Religious  Questions."     ;^i«35' 

Frost,  "  The  School  of  the  Church."     ^1.15. 

Weaver,  **  The  Religious  Development  of  the  Child." 
$1.25. 

Cope,  "Religious  Education  in  the  Family."     $1.25. 

See  also  books  mentioned  at  close  of  chapter  on  **  The 
Organized  Bible  Class." 


XIII 
THE  HOME  DEPARTMENT 

THIS  department  is  designed  to  secure  home 
study  of  the  Bible  and  to  provide  Sunday- 
school  oversight  for  all  persons  who  cannot 
be  induced  to  attend  the  sessions  of  the  school. 

The  Home  Department  is  the  oldest  of  the  eight 
special  departments  offered  in  connection  with  the 
Sunday  school.  The  movement  had  its  origin  early 
in  the  eighties  and  received  special  recognition  at 
the  hands  of  the  International  Convention  in  1892. 
The  names  of  Samuel  W.  Dike  and  W.  A.  Duncan 
are  closely  associated  with  the  beginnings  of  the 
Home  Department.  From  the  beginning,  the  idea 
met  with  favor  and  the  movement  has  spread  until  it 
has  extended  into  all  parts  of  the  world. 

Miss  Forbes  states  the  objects  sought  through  the 
Home  Department  clearly  and  convincingly,  and 
thus  makes  the  strongest  possible  plea  for  the  de- 
partment.* 

"  (i)     To  promote  systematic  Bible  study. 

"  (2)     To  encourage  individual  and  family  worship. 

"  (3)     To  win  its  unsaved  members  to  Christ. 

"  (4)  To  enlist  its  members  in  definite  lines  of 
service. 

1  Lilian  S.  Forbes,  "  The  Home  Department  of  the  Sunday 
School,"  page  13. 


140       The  Present-Day  Sunday  School 

"  (5)     To  develop  the  social  side  of  the  church  life. 

"  (6)  To  give  permanency  and  direction  to  its 
work  by  making  a  department  of  the  Sunday  school. 

*•  It  emphasizes  that  the  Sunday  school  is  for  the 
whole  church  membership  and  for  all  others,  too. 

"  It  has  in  it  the  Christ  idea  of  going  after  the  folks. 

"  It  builds  up  the  school  and  the  church. 

"  It  develops  the  worker. 

"  It  begets  mutual  love  and  sympathy  between  vis- 
itors and  visited. 

"  It  brings  cheer  to  the  darkened  homes  and  lonely 
lives. 

"  It  increases  the  number  of  those  who  study  the 
Bible. 

"  It  prepares  parents  to  be  helpful  to  their  children 
in  the  preparation  of  their  Sunday-school  lessons. 

"  It  builds  up  the  family  altar. 

"  It  multiplies  the  pastor. 

"  It  opens  homes  that  have  been  closed  for  many 
years  to  religious  influences. 

"  It  has  been  the  means  of  turning  many  no-service 
church  members  into  strong,  active  Christians. 

"  It  carries  missionary  tracts  and  books  into  many 
homes." 

Organization. — One  reason  for  the  continued  use- 
fulness of  this  department  lies  in  the  fact  that  it  is 
simple  and  flexible  in  its  plans  and  methods.  A  su- 
perintendent supervises  the  work  and  gives  it  gen- 
eral direction.  Visitors  divide  the  field  among  them- 
selves and  each  is  charged  with  responsibility  for  a 
certain  territory  or  for  a  certain  list  of  names. 


Studies  in  the  Departments  141 

If  a  new  Home  Department  is  to  be  organized,  the 
first  step  will  be  to  secure  the  sample  literature  sent 
free  by  the  denominational  publishing  houses,  and 
two  or  three  copies  of  any  one  of  the  published  hand- 
books, and  let  the  prospective  workers  thoroughly 
inform  themselves  as  to  the  work  proposed.  The 
requisites  usually  desired  embrace  the  following : 

(i)  Circular  literature  describing  the  purpose  and 
work  of  the  Home  Department. 

(2)  An  application  card  with  pledge  agreeing  to 
give  a  half  hour  each  week  to  the  study  of  the  Sun- 
day-school lesson. 

(3)  A  certificate  of  membership  to  be  given  to  all 
who  join  the  department. 

(4)  A  member's  quarterly  report  blank  (usually  a 
specially  prepared  envelope)  on  which  the  member 
reports  his  record  as  regards  Bible  study  and  offering. 

(5)  The  Visitor's  Home  Class  Book  and  quarterly 
report  blank  for  the  visitor  on  which  report  is  made 
of  the  number  in  his  class  and  the  record  of  each 
member. 

(6)  The  superintendent's  record  book.  This  pro- 
vides for  the  keeping  of  full  information  regarding 
the  department  and  each  member  in  it. 

Special  magazines  are  generally  provided  for  this 
department,  treating  the  Uniform  Sunday-School 
Lessons  and  providing  suitable  reading  matter.  Or 
any  treatment  of  the  lesson  prepared  for  adults  may 
be  used. 

The  question  sometimes  arises  as  to  whether  mem- 
bers of  the  Cradle  Roll  and  Home  Department  shall 


142        The  Present-Day  Sunday  School 

be  counted  in  reporting  the  Sunday-school  enroll- 
ment. Certainly  they  should  be  counted,  as,  in  real- 
ity, they  are  members  of  the  school.  Any  school 
can  properly  report  the  total  number  in  its  eight  de- 
partments. If  it  seems  necessary,  in  order  to  avoid 
possible  confusion,  the  report  may  be  read,  "  En- 
rollment, including  Crac  le  Roll  and  Home  Depart- 
ment," though  it  ough*  not  to  be  considered  neces- 
sary to  make  this  explanation  inasmuch  as  the  Cradle 
Roll  children  and  the  friends  of  the  Home  Depart- 
ment are  as  much  members  of  the  school  as  are  those 
who  attend  its  sessions. 

As  indicating  the  far-reach  of  the  Home  Depart- 
ment, at  the  International  Convention  held  in  Chi- 
cago, June,  1914,  26,598  departments  were  reported 
with  a  total  membership  of  788,057. 

The  International  Executive  Committee  at  New 
Orleans,  in  191 2,  recommended  that  Home  Depart- 
ments should  be  of  two  grades.  Grade  A  includes 
such  departments  as  meet  the  ordinary  requirements 
and  in  addition  urge  the  observance  of  family 
worship,  comprising  Bible  reading  and  prayer. 
Grade  B  includes  only  the  ordinary  requirement  of 
a  study  of  the  lesson  for  thirty  minutes. 

Some  paragraphs  taken  from  the  article  of  Rev. 
Samuel  W.  Dike  published  in  the  Vermont  Chro7iicle, 
January  9,  1885,  seem  almost  prophetic,  and  even 
to-day  fairly  state  the  spirit  of  the  Home  Department 
work.* 

•  "  The  Encyclopedia  of  Sunday  Schools  and  Religious  Educa« 
tion,"  page  529.  -        — 


Studies  in  the  Departments  143 

"  Every  pastor  and  Sunday-school  superintendent 
has  had  occasion  to  regret  that  sickness,  infirmity, 
or  some  other  cause  beyond  control  keeps  a  number 
of  the  best  of  his  charge  from  active  participation  in 
the  Sunday-school  service.  There  are  others,  also, 
who  do  not  attend  any  public  service  and  who  have 
resisted,  for  various  reasons,  all  efforts  to  bring  them 
into  this  service  of  the  church.  Sometimes  one  or 
two  children  only  will  attend  out  of  a  family.  And 
on  the  borders  of  our  parishes  there  are  always  some 
families  who  cannot  be  reached  by  any  Sunday  school 
without  the  greatest  difficulty.  These  families  can- 
not, or  think  they  cannot,  go  to  the  church  school. 
Something  ought  to  be  done  for  them.  And  those 
aged  and  infirm  people  who  have  perhaps  been  in 
the  Sunday  school  most  of  their  lives  hardly  ought 
to  be  left  without  a  taste  of  the  cherished  privileges 
of  a  lifetime. 

"  Now  why  not  have  a  Home  Department  for 
these  classes  ?  We  have  our  Uniform  Lessons  and 
lesson  quarterlies  in  abundance.  Some  of  these  are 
very  well  adapted  to  use  in  private  study  at  home. 
The  religious  newspapers  all  have  their  notes  on  the 
lessons,  and  so  do  some  others.  .  .  .  And  then 
the  pastor  and  superintendent  might  g^t  competent 
persons  to  canvass  the  field  and  find  how  many  could 
join  such  a  department  of  the  Sunday  school  to  be 
composed  of  those  who  could  not  attend  the  public 
service  of  the  school  more  than  six  times  in  a  year, 
and  of  those  who  could  not  come  at  all. 

**  Then  get   as  many  as  possible  to  enroll  their 


144        The  Present-Day  Sunday  School 

names   as    members   of  the  school.     To  make  the 
conditions  at  first  very  few  and  simple,  is  best." 

THE  FIRST  HOME  DEPARTMENT 

'Twas  long  ago  in  Galilee, 

When  Jesus  taught  beside  the  sea, 

He  organized,  as  we'll  agree. 

The  world's  first  Home  Department. 

And  Christ  Himself  the  leader  when 
In  loving  ministry  to  men. 
He  worked  and  talked  in  homes,  for  then 
Began  the  Home  Department. 

The  visitors  ?     First  twelve  were  sent 
Upon  this  blessed  mission  bent, 
And  teaching,  healing  as  they  went 
Throughout  the  Home  Department. 

Then  seventy  went  forth,  ''two  and  two/' 
The  work  of  visiting  to  do ; 
They  came,  rejoicing,  to  review 
The  working  Home  Department. 

O,  happy  privilege  !  that  we 
May  share  in  this  sweet  ministry, 
And  help  to  spread  from  sea  to  sea, 
The  blessed  Home  Department. 

— Ada  Sherwood, 

References  : 

Cope,  **  Religious  Education  in  the  Family."     $^*2.^, 
Forbes,  "  The  Home  Department  of  the  Sunday  School." 

35  cents. 

Hazard,   "Home    Classes    and  the   Home    Department." 

50  cents. 


Studies  in  Administration 

XIV 
THE  PASTOR  IN  THE  SUNDAY  SCHOOL 

THE  church  in  all  the  various  phases  of  its  life 
and  work  constitutes  a  school  of  religion. 
The  Sunday  school  is  one  of  the  departments 
in  this  larger  school.  The  Sunday  school  is  an  agency 
of  the  church,  one  of  the  means  by  which  it  discharges 
its  obligations  to  the  community.  The  pastor  is,  of 
course,  the  pastor  of  the  Sunday  school. 

I.  The  Place  of  the  Sunday  School  in  the  Life  of 
the  Pastor. 

The  time  was  when  conditions  seemed  to  require 
that  the  work  of  the  pastor  should  be  largely  mis- 
sionary and  evangelistic.  Such  it  is  and  must  always 
be.  But  there  is  in  our  day  a  growing  recognition 
of  the  educational  element  in  the  program  of  the 
church.  Evangelism  is  not  to  receive  less  emphasis, 
but  the  careful  and  prolonged  educational  processes 
which  pave  the  way  for  normal  evangelism  are  to  be 
more  fully  recognized.  Not  evangehsm  apart  from 
education,  but  evangelism  for  which  painstaking 
educational  efforts  have  paved  the  way  and  laid  the 
foundation.  The  pastor  of  to-day  finds  that  his 
church  is  primarily  a  school,  an  educational  institu- 

145 


146        The  Present-Day  Sunday  School 

tion,  and  that  he  is  the  dean.  He  finds  this  school 
of  religion  serving  in  the  midst  of  a  keen  educational 
atmosphere  and  in  a  varied  setting  of  educational 
institutions.  He  finds,  as  a  department  of  this  gen- 
eral school  of  religion,  the  Sunday  school  which  has 
assigned  to  it  by  general  consent  the  instruction  of 
the  people  in  the  Bible.  This  Bible  school  in  turn 
is  surrounded  by  other  schools  often  with  severely 
trained  teachers  and  high  educational  standards.  In 
a  word,  the  pastor  is  recognized  as  an  educator  stand- 
ing at  the  head  of  an  institution  which  holds  a  vital 
place  in  the  world  of  general  education. 

In  this  school  over  which  the  pastor  presides  are 
enrolled  probably  as  many  people  as  constitute  the 
congregation  to  which  he  preaches.  On  the  whole, 
its  pupils  are  more  plastic  and  impressionable  than 
the  people  who  wait  on  his  pulpit  ministry.  From 
within  this  school  are  to  come  an  overwhelming 
majority  of  the  converts,  the  ministers,  the  mission- 
aries, and  the  great-hearted  laymen  of  to-morrow. 
As  the  thoughtful  pastor  views  his  parish  and  surveys 
his  field,  the  Sunday  school  must  loom  on  the  horizon 
as  a  large  element  in  his  work. 

II.     The  Pastor's  Place  in  the  Sunday  School. 

We  have  said  that  the  pastor  is  to  be  the  pastor 
of  the  Sunday  school ;  not  its  superintendent,  not  its 
directing  head,  but  its  pastor.  He  is  responsible  for 
its  work  and  its  fruitage.  He  may  not  shift  or  in 
any  way  evade  this  necessary  responsibility.  Here 
the    Bible  is  taught,  here  preparation   is   made   for 


Studies  in  Administration  147 

evangelism,  here  the  pastor's  people  are  busy  with 
tasks  in  which  they  need  him. 

1.  The  pastor's  place  in  the  Sunday  school  is  a 
literal  place.  He  must  attend  the  sessions  of  the  school. 
His  face  is  always  a  benediction  among  his  associates, 
his  smile  an  incentive  and  blessing.  There  is  not  a 
moment  during  the  whole  program  when  his  presence 
will  not  be  welcomed  and  helpful.  To  be  sure,  this  is 
the  pastor's  busy  day  and  he  may  not  think  it  wise  to 
be  present  in  the  Sunday  school  throughout  the  en- 
tire session.  It  will  not  be  misunderstood  if  he 
should  slip  away  to  his  study  for  quiet  and  prayer  as 
the  hour  approaches  for  his  ministry  in  the  pulpit. 

In  the  words  of  Dr.  William  E.  Hatcher,  "  It 
strengthens  a  school  wonderfully  to  have  a  pastor 
who  really  knows  all  about  it,  who  can  bridge  the 
turbid  stream,  who  can  heal  a  breach,  wrest  victory 
from  a  scene  of  confusion  and  make  things  go. 
What  a  charm  a  man  hke  that  will  throw  over  the 
school ! " 

2.  The  pastor  has  a  place  of  oversight  and  general 
direction.  He  is  not  the  executive  head  ;  that  is  the 
superintendent's  place.  In  the  large,  he  is  to  direct 
and  inspire,  while  all  administration  is  to  be  in  the 
hands  of  the  superintendent.  Here  is  a  fine  relation- 
ship which  calls  for  the  utmost  delicacy  and  mutual 
consideration.  The  officious  pastor  who  is  not  con- 
tent to  leave  the  superintendent  free  in  his  proper 
sphere ;  who,  instead  of  cultivating  relations  of  sym- 
pathetic helpfulness,  interferes  with  the  superintend- 
ent's   administration,    will    inevitably    hamper    the 


148        The  Present-Day  Sunday  School 

work  of  the  school.  The  superintendent,  on  the 
other  hand,  who  is  sensitive  about  his  own  preroga- 
tives, who  is  jealous  for  his  own  place,  and  who  fails 
to  set  ajar  the  door  for  the  pastor  to  come  freely  into 
the  school  and  wield  his  pastoral  influence,  is  inviting 
defeat. 

3.  The  pastor  should  see  that  his  school  is 
organized  for  efficiency  and  that  the  best  and  most 
helpful  lessons  are  provided.  The  superintendent, 
who  is  possibly  a  busy  business  man,  may  not 
be  expected  to  be  as  accurately  informed  as  regards 
approved  methods  of  organization,  and  especially  as 
regards  lesson  material  and  helps.  However  the 
teachers  may  be  selected,  the  pastor,  who  of  all 
others  has  the  widest  opportunity  to  observe  his 
people  and  study  their  qualifications,  should  be  ex- 
pected to  advise  in  the  matter  of  their  selection. 

4.  The  pastor  should  supervise  the  training  of  the 
teachers.  This  means  also  that  he  should  call  out 
and  train  those  who  are  to  become  teachers.  It 
means  that  he  shall  assume  responsibility  for  the 
teaching  and  the  training  of  those  at  present  engaged 
in  the  work  of  the  Sunday  school.  It  does  not  neces- 
sarily mean  that  the  pastor  shall  personally  conduct 
all  teacher  training  classes.  This  he  may  or  may 
not  do.  For  this  work  he  may  utilize  the  service 
of  some  equipped  teacher  engaged  in  general  educa- 
tional work.  The  point  on  which  we  insist  is  that 
the  pastor  is  to  see  that  this  work  is  faithfully  done. 

The  only  way  in  which  the  pastor  can  make  sure 
that  pure   doctrine  is  being  taught  in  the  Sunday 


Studies  in  Administration  149 

school  is  to  see  that  teachers,  present  and  prospective, 
are  deeply  taught  in  the  doctrines  of  the  faith.  It  is 
not  often  that  unworthy  persons  will  seek  a  place  in 
the  Sunday  school  in  order  to  propagate  wrong 
doctrine.  If  they  do,  they  must,  of  course,  be  sum- 
marily dealt  with.  But  well-meaning  persons  may, 
in  ignorance,  teach  false  and  hurtful  doctrines 
"  Safety  first "  demands  that  the  pastor  look  care- 
fully  to  the  doctrinal  training  of  those  who  are,  or 
may  be,  teachers  in  the  church  school.  This  whole 
question  of  teacher  training  will  receive  fuller  treat- 
ment in  a  special  chapter. 

III.  The  Place  of  the  Sunday  School  in  Pastoral 
Work. 

The  pastor  must  carry  the  Sunday  school  on  his 
heart  in  all  of  his  pastoral  work.  In  his  round 
of  visiting,  he  will  be  alert  to  catch  any  information 
which  he  may  turn  to  account  in  the  interest  of  the 
church  school ;  he  will  visit  promptly  any  pupil  who 
may  be  sick  or  in  any  special  need ;  he  will  be  on  the 
lookout  for  new  pupils  and  for  new  teachers. 

If  the  pastor  thus  carries  the  school  of  the  church 
on  his  heart  he  will  not  fail  to  make  suitable  mention 
of  this  work  and  these  workers  in  his  public  prayers. 
More  perhaps  than  the  pastor  knows,  mention  in  his 
public  petitions  is  observed  and  appreciated  by  his 
people.  And  the  pastor  who  bears  his  school  on  his 
heart  will  find  opportunities  in  his  public  ministry, 
both  in  way  of  announcements  and  in  the  interpreta- 
tion of  the  Word^  to  magnify  the  teaching  service. 


150       The  Present-Day  Sunday  School 

The  pastor  will  wish  to  hold  an  annual  installation 
service  for  the  recognition  and  encouragement  of  the 
teachers  and  officers.  This  service  will  give  him  the 
occasion  to  say  things  to  the  workers,  to  the  pupils, 
and  to  the  whole  congregation  which  will  help 
throughout  the  whole  year. 

The  question  of  evangelism  in  the  Sunday  school 
will  be  discussed  in  a  separate  chapter.  We  must 
insist  here  that  the  pastor  shall  be  always  on  the 
watch  for  youths  whom  the  Lord  may  be  calling  into 
the  ministry,  missionary  work  or  special  Christian 
service.  There  are  three  million  men  and  boys  in 
the  Sunday  schools  of  America.  From  among  this 
number  will  come  practically  all  of  the  pastors,  the 
presidents  of  Christian  colleges,  missionaries  and 
church  leaders  of  the  future.  There  is  something 
wrong  with  the  ministry  of  the  man  who  does  not 
inspire  youths  to  enter  the  ministry.  It  is  said  that 
three  hundred  and  fifty  students  of  theology,  repre- 
senting fifty  theological  seminaries,  were  asked  how 
many  had  heard  sermons  on  the  claims  of  the  minis* 
try  and  more  than  half  of  them  stated  that  they  had 
never  heard  such  sermons. 

IV.  The  Pastor's  Preparation  for  Sunday  School 
Work. 

These  words  coming  from  a  well-informed  and 
widely-observing  pastor  may  well  be  pondered : 

"  It  is  no  pessimistic  deliverance  when  I  declare 
that  many  of  our  ministers,  valuable  in  other  respects, 
are  lost  in  our  Sunday  schools.     They  are  aliens  in 


Studies  in  Administration  151 

their  houses ;  they  are  destitute  of  fitness  for  service 
in  one  of  the  most  important  phases  of  Christian 
evangelization.  Their  commission  does  not  seem  to 
include  any  specific  instruction  as  to  the  duty  which 
belongs  to  them  in  connection  with  the  teaching  of 
the  Scriptures  to  the  people.  This  is  not  universally 
true — it  may  not  be  generally  true,  but  I  am  sure 
that  a  candid  study  of  the  situation  would  reveal  the 
fact  that  the  average  pastor  cuts  an  insignificant  fig- 
ure in  the  Sunday  school,  and  that  his  withdrawal 
or  death  would  prove  a  slight  appreciable  loss  to  the 
school." ' 

Unhappily,  most  of  the  pastors  of  the  day  pursued 
their  preparatory  studies  in  the  time  when  the  church 
school  was  not  taken  so  seriously  and  when  thorough 
courses  looking  to  the  leadership  of  modern  Sunday- 
school  forces  were  not  generally  offered.  This  de- 
ficiency in  early  training  must  be  overcome  by  a  study 
of  the  best  literature  on  the  modern  Sunday  school 
and  religious  education.  Three  or  four  of  the  best 
books  on  psychology,  a  half-dozen  books  on  religious 
pedagogy,  a  few  choice  books  on  the  Sunday  school, 
including  at  least  one  special  book  on  each  of  the  de- 
partments, will  furnish  a  good  start,  and  the  pastor 
may  keep  in  touch  with  advance  steps  and  methods 
by  following  current  Sunday-school  literature  and 
reading  a  new  book  occasionally  through  the  year. 

A  wise  worker  who  observes  the  need  may  present 
to  the  pastor  a  choice  book  at  certain  intervals.     He 

»  Dr.  William  E.  Hatcher,  «  The  Pastor  and  the  Sunday  School," 
page  21. 


152        The  Present-Day  Sunday  School 

may  lead  others  to  prevail  on  the  pastor  to  secure  the 
services  of  Sunday-school  specialists  or  induce  him  to 
attend  institutes  and  assemblies  where  the  best  mod- 
ern methods  will  be  discussed.  Perhaps  the  simplest 
and  most  practical  means  by  which  the  pastor  may 
secure  needed  preparation  is  for  him  to  lead  his  peo- 
ple in  the  study  of  a  good  normal  course  for  teacher 
training.  These  courses  are  generally  so  adjusted 
and  offered  that  any  pastor  may  confidently  undertake 
to  lead  his  workers  in  the  study  of  them. 

In  closing  this  chapter  we  cannot  do  better  than 
to  quote  again  from  Dr.  William  E.  Hatcher,  whose 
treatment  of  the  pastor's  relation  to  the  Sunday  school 
constitutes  an  outstanding  classic  among  books  of  its 
kind.* 

*'  There  are  two  almost  impregnable  bulwarks  of 
safety  for  young  Christians  in  our  churches ;  one  is 
worship  and  the  other  work.  Worship  is  the  tie 
which  binds  us  to  the  Lord,  and  work  is  the  tie 
which  connects  us  with  our  brethren  and  with  the 
lost.  If  we  can  succeed  in  making  our  young  people 
intelligent  and  devout  worshippers,  and  inflame  them 
with  zeal  to  help  their  brethren  and  rescue  the 
perishing,  then  we  have  done  our  utmost  to  save  them 
from  making  shipwrecks  of  their  faith. 

"  This  double  task  belongs  largely  to  the  pastor. 
We  must  not  imagine  that  it  is  an  undertaking  free 
from  embarrassments  and  heart-breaking  trials.  It  is 
the  most  stupendous  work  ever  committed  to  mortal 
hands.  It  is  the  thing  which  requires  the  highest 
*  Hatcher,  «•  The  Pastor  and  the  Sunday  School,"  pages  165-166. 


Studies  in  Administration  153 

graces   of  the  saintly  life.     It  is  possible  only  with 
those  who  walk  with  God." 

References  : 

Hatcher,  "  The  Pastor  and  the  Sunday  School.'*  50  cents. 
McKinney,  '*  The  Pastor  and  Teacher  Training."  50  cents. 
Faris,  **  The  Sunday  School  and  the  Pastor."     25  cents. 


XV 
OFFICERS  OF  THE  SUNDAY  SCHOOL 

OWING  to  the  limitations  necessary  in  this 
discussion,  we  can  only  mention  the  officers 
usually  required  in  the  graded  Sunday 
school  and  briefly  indicate  their  duties.  The  place 
and  duties  of  the  pastor  in  the  church  school  were 
treated  in  the  preceding  chapter. 

If,  as  is  advocated  elsewhere  in  this  book,  the  church 
appoints  a  Committee  or  Board  of  Religious  Educa- 
tion charged  with  the  duty  of  supervising  and  direct- 
ing all  of  the  educational  work  of  the  church,  such 
Committee  or  Board  will  exercise  only  general  direc- 
tion, leaving  the  proper  executive  officers  free  to 
perform  their  several  duties. 

I.     The  Superintendent. 

Next  to  the  pastor  he  holds  the  most  important  and 
responsible  position  in  the  church.  He  may  be,  in  ac- 
cordance with  the  time-honored  custom  of  the  Sunday 
school,  a  busy  man  who  offers  his  service  without 
thought  of  compensation,  or  he  may  be  a  salaried  of- 
ficer giving  himself  wholly  to  the  work  of  religious 
education.  Such  salaried  officers  are  rapidly  multi- 
plying in  our  churches,  and  our  theological  seminaries 
are  making  special  provision  for  their  training. 

154 


Studies  in  Administration  ij^ 

I.     His  qualifications. 

It  would  be  easy  to  write  a  chapter  or  even  a  book 
on  the  qualifications  needed  to  make  a  successful 
superintendent.  Ideal  men  are  rarely  at  command 
and  the  Lord's  work  must  usually  be  carried  forward 
by  faithful  men  and  women  who,  with  whatever 
shortcomings  and  imperfections,  are  willing  to  serve 
as  best  they  can.  There  are,  of  course,  some  really 
indispensable  qualities. 

The  superintendent  must  sustain  an  unblemished 
reputation  in  all  of  his  varied  relationships.  His  own 
moral  life  must  be  blameless.  No  gifts,  no  zeal  can 
compensate  for  a  lack  at  this  vital  point.  He  must 
also  be  a  religious  man.  His  spirit,  whether  icy  and 
indifferent  or  warm  and  devout,  will  diffuse  through- 
out the  whole  school  and  will  constitute  a  vital  ele- 
ment in  his  influence. 

The  superintendent  must  be  a  lover  of  the  Book 
and  a  constant  student  of  its  blessed  pages.  He 
stands  at  the  head  of  a  Bible  school,  an  institution 
whose  aim  is  to  teach  the  Word  of  God.  It  is  not  re- 
quired that  he  shall  be  a  theologian,  nor  yet  that  he 
shall  be  a  Bible  scholar,  but  it  is  requisite  that  he 
shall  himself  delight  in  his  Bible  and  that  he 
shall  be  a  diligent  student  of  the  sacred  Scriptures. 
Many  men  with  meager  gifts  and  scant  ability  have 
in  a  fine  way  imparted  to  the  teachers  and  the  whole 
school  something  of  their  own  fresh  and  joyous  in- 
terest in  the  study  of  the  Bible. 

The  superintendent  is  an  executive  officer.  He 
must  be  able  to  harmonize  and  direct.     Wielding  an 


156        The  Present-Day  Sunday  School 

authority  which  grows  not  out  of  his  position  so  much 
as  it  depends  upon  his  own  personality,  he  must 
direct  and  develop  an  institution  in  which  are  varied 
temperaments  and  often  conflicting  interests.  He 
leads  and  works  in  a  realm  where  unity  of  spirit  and 
purpose  are  absolutely  necessary. 

These  are  some  of  the  essential  marks  of  a  good 
superintendent.  Let  the  church  select  for  this  high 
office  the  best  man  available  and  let  the  man  selected 
make  of  himself  the  best  possible  superintendent. 

2.     His  election. 

How  shall  the  superintendent  be  chosen  ?  What 
shall  be  his  term  of  office  ? 

If  there  is  a  Committee  or  Board  of  Religious  Edu- 
cation, such  committee  should  nominate  and,  in  ac- 
cordance with  its  form  of  government,  the  church 
should  elect.  This  cannot  be  too  earnestly  insisted 
upon.  The  reasons  cannot  be  fully  discussed  here, 
though  they  must  be  in  the  main  obvious.  The 
superintendent  should  be  elected  for  a  definite  term, 
usually  one  year,  as  should  all  of  the  other  officers 
and  the  teachers.  This  annual  selection  of  officers 
and  teachers  opens  the  way  for  merited  recognition 
and  makes  pos==ib)e  such  rearrangements  as  may  seem 
desirable.  Being  elected  by  the  church,  it  is  the 
superintendent's  duty  to  keep  the  church  informed  as 
to  the  progress,  the  problems  and  the  needs  of  the 
school.  He  should  make  written  reports  to  the 
church  monthly  and  a  very  full  report  once  a  year. 
In  season  and  out  of  season  he  should  keep  the  Sun- 
day school  before  the  church. 


Studies  in  Administration  157 

3.     His  duties. 

He  is  to  preside  over  and  direct  all  the  divisions 
of  the  school,  with  a  view  to  securing  the  largest  re- 
sults in  instruction  and  training.  His  duties  are  very 
much  the  same  whether  his  is  a  small  school  in  one 
room,  or  a  school  of  thousands  with  its  divisions  and 
departments.  He  is  what  his  title  implies,  a  super- 
intendent. He  is  not  to  do  the  work,  he  is  to  get  it 
done. 

In  cooperation  with  the  pastor  and  his  department 
associates,  he  is  to  take  the  initiative  in  selecting  the 
teachers,  he  is  to  be  responsible  for  the  type  of  teach- 
ing done;  he  is  to  conduct  the  general  assembly 
worship  or  to  see  that  it  is  properly  conducted  by  his 
associates ;  he  is  to  oversee  all  departments ;  he  is  to 
lead  in  efforts  for  enlargement ;  he  is  to  see  that 
his  teachers  are  properly  trained,  and  he  is  to 
look  generally  to  the  welfare  and  progress  of  the 
school. 

In  order  that  he  may  render  this  service  effectively, 
the  superintendent  needs  to  keep  abreast  of  the  times 
as  regards  Sunday-school  methods.  Happily,  the 
literature,  both  books  and  periodicals,  is  now  abun- 
dant. His  reading  and  study  must  cover,  in  some 
measure,  the  whole  range  of  Sunday-school  thought, 
must  deal  with  all  the  departments  of  the  school, 
including  the  Cradle  Roll  and  the  Home  Department. 
Besides  this  necessary  reading,  the  superintendent 
will  be  greatly  profited  by  attendance  upon  Sunday- 
school  institutes,  training  schools  and  summer  assem- 
blies. 


158       The  Present-Day  Sunday  School 

II.  The  Departmental  Superintendents. 

These  would  perhaps  better  be  called  department 
principals,  as  they  are  not  really  superintendents  in 
the  full  sense  in  which  we  usually  use  the  term.  It 
does  not  seem  necessary  or  possible  to  define  clearly 
the  place  and  the  duties  of  these  officers.  Much  de- 
pends upon  the  size  of  the  school  and  the  conditions 
under  which  it  does  its  work.  In  the  large  depart- 
ment, having  its  own  quarters  and  conducting  sepa- 
rately its  work  and  its  worship,  the  department 
superintendent  must  have  a  wide  sphere  and  large 
freedom. 

Their  place  and  their  responsibility  is  sufficiently 
indicated  in  their  title ;  they  are  directors  or  superin- 
tendents of  their  special  departments,  charged  with 
the  care  and  leadership  of  the  groups  entrusted  to 
them,  always  with  due  regard  for  the  general  super- 
intendent and  the  unity  of  the  whole  school.  In  the 
modern  graded  Sunday  school,  they  carry  a  large 
measure  of  burden  and  responsibility. 

III.  The  Teachers. 

These  stand  central  in  the  church  school.  Modern 
Sunday-school  thought  magnifies  the  worship,  the 
training  elements  and  other  parts  of  the  work  which 
did  not  formerly  receive  so  much  emphasis.  But  the 
chief  factor  in  this  work  of  religious  education  must 
always  be  the  teaching  of  the  Bible,  and  the  teacher 
must  always  hold  central  place  in  this  school. 

Developments  of  recent  years  lay  a  heavier  burden 
upon  the  Sunday-school  teacher.     With  the  use  of 


Studies  in  Administration  159 

the  graded  lessons  it  is  more  than  ever  essential  that 
the  teacher  shall  be  punctual  and  regular  in  attend- 
ance, and  with  the  more  definite  effort  to  teach  a  real 
educational  course  in  the  Bible  it  is  incumbent  on  the 
teacher  to  be  more  thoroughly  equipped  in  Bible 
study  and  in  religious  pedagogy  for  his  difficult 
task. 

The  Sunday  school  is  primarily  an  institution  set 
for  teaching.  All  officers  and  all  organization  are 
for  the  purpose  of  securing  the  best  possible  teaching. 

The  Superintendent  inspires  and  guides  the  teach- 
ing and  conducts  his  program  with  a  view  to  teaching. 

The  Teachers  of  course  have  this  as  their  special 
task. 

The  Secretary  aids  the  teaching  by  keeping  accu- 
rate records. 

The  Treasurer  contributes  to  teaching  by  seeing 
that  all  necessary  expenses  are  promptly  met,  and 
that  the  school  is  trained  to  give  regularly  and  ac- 
cording to  the  principles  laid  down  in  the  Bible. 

The  Chorister  and  the  Pianist  make  contribution 
to  the  teaching  by  such  leadership  of  song  as  creates 
a  favorable  atmosphere. 

The  Librarian  helps  the  teaching  by  seeing  that 
the  teachers  are  supplied  with  all  needed  reference 
books  for  their  Bible  study  and  with  all  needed 
periodical  literature  for  the  study  of  their  special 
lessons. 

The  method  of  selecting  teachers  and  their  relation 
to  the  general  organization  of  the  school  is  elsewhere 
treated  in  this  book. 


l6o        The  Present-Day  Sunday  School 

IV.  The  Secretary. 

This  is  a  most  important  office  in  the  Sunday 
school,  especially  in  the  modern  graded  school.  As 
is  elsewhere  pointed  out,  it  is  easily  possible  for  the 
secretary  to  demoralize  and  defeat  the  effort  to  con- 
duct a  graded  school. 

It  is  a  comparatively  easy  and  simple  task  to  keep 
the  usual  records  of  the  school  and  to  report  these  at 
stated  times.  To  so  keep  these  records  as  to  serve 
the  convenience  and  increase  the  efficiency  of  each 
class  and  to  make  contribution  to  the  enlargement 
and  efficiency  of  each  department,  as  well  as  of  the 
whole  school,  is  a  rarely  difficult  task.  But  just  this 
is  the  opportunity  of  the  secretary.  By  the  intro- 
duction and  intelligent  use  of  the  "  six  point  system," 
many  secretaries  have  wrought  wonders  in  their 
schools.  Moreover,  the  secretary  can,  if  he  has  a 
sense  of  the  nature  and  value  of  the  teaching  art, 
contribute  largely  to  the  work  of  the  teacher  by  see- 
ing that  needed  suppHes  are  always  at  hand,  and 
otherwise  preventing  needless  interruptions. 

It  is  impracticable  in  a  treatise  of  this  kind  to  dis- 
cuss in  detail  the  work  of  the  secretary.  Special 
books  and  periodical  literature  are  to  be  had  in 
abundance.  Samples  of  record  systems  and  secre- 
tarial supplies  of  all  kinds  will  be  furnished  free  on 
application  to  Sunday-school  publishing  houses. 

V.  Departmental  Secretaries. 

Each  department  must  have  its  own  secretary,  and 
in   the   upper  departments  the  classes   will  require 


Studies  in  Administration  l6l 

their  own  secretaries.  The  duties  of  these  depart- 
mental officers  will  be  for  their  own  departments  what 
the  duties  of  the  general  secretary  have  been  to  the 
whole  school.  They  will  keep  the  records  and  report 
same  promptly  to  the  general  secretary.  They  will 
receive  all  hterature  and  periodicals  from  the  librarian 
and  distribute  it  in  their  departments. 

VI.  The  Treasurer. 

It  has  long  been  customary  to  regard  this  officer 
as  merely  entrusted  with  the  duty  of  receiving  and 
caring  for  the  funds  of  the  Sunday  school.  In  the 
modern  Sunday  school  he  has  come  into  a  wider 
sphere. 

Not  least  among  the  duties  of  the  Sunday  school 
is  to  train  in  Christian  giving.  If  we  are  to  have  a 
generation  which  will  recognize  God's  ownership 
and  human  stewardship,  which  will  honor  God  with 
the  first-fruits  of  its  increase,  we  must  begin  the 
training  early  and  the  Sunday  school  finds  here  a 
fruitful  opportunity.  The  treasurer  is  the  officer 
especially  charged  with  this  responsibility.  He  it  is 
that  must  see,  not  only  that  the  pupils  give,  but  that 
they  give  in  ways  which  will  enrich  and  train. 

It  hardly  needs  to  be  said  here  that  the  treasurer, 
however  small  the  funds  which  he  handles,  should 
keep  his  books  with  the  most  scrupulous  care  and 
that  he  should  insist  upon  their  being  audited  at 
regular  intervals, 

VII.  The  Librarian. 

Whether  or  not  there  is  a  library  of  books,  the 


l62        The  Present-Day  Sunday  School 

librarian  should  order  all  necessary  literature  and 
distribute  it  to  the  secretaries.  He  should  himself 
be  a  specialist  in  the  various  types  of  lessons  and 
should  be  able  to  guide  the  teachers  in  securing  the 
lessons  and  lesson  helps  which  they  need. 

VIII.  The  Chorister. 

In  all  the  history  of  Sunday-school  work,  singing 
has  been  a  marked  and  helpful  feature.  Children 
especially  dehght  to  sing.  The  right  kind  of  singing 
is  a  mighty  educational  influence.  It  wonderfully 
quickens  the  heart  and  lifts  the  soul  towards  God. 

Even  with  children  the  stately  old  hymns  of  the 
church  are  immensely  popular.  They  should  be 
memorized.  A  practical  worker  with  Juniors  de- 
clares that  children  coming  out  of  the  Junior  De- 
partment should  know  at  least  twenty  of  the  really 
great  hymns.  The  following  hymns  are  suggested 
by  Miss  Baldwin  as  suitable  for  Junior  boys  and 
girls :  * 

When  Morning  Gilds  the  Skies. 

The  Son  of  God  Goes  Forth  to  War. 

All  Hail  the  Power  of  Jesus'  Name. 

Fling  Out  the  Banner. 

Love  Divine,  All  Love  Excelling. 

Holy,  Holy,  Holy,  Lord  God  Almighty. 

My  Faith  Looks  Up  to  Thee. 

IX.  The  Pianist. 

There  should,  of  course,  be  a  pianist  for  the  main 

^  Mary  Judkin  Baldwin,  "  The  Juniors :  How  to  Teach  and  Train 
Them,"  page  51. 


Studies  in  Administration  163 

school  assembly.  If  the  several  departments  have 
their  furnished  assembly  rooms,  a  pianist  will  be  re- 
quired for  each  department. 

X.     Ushers. 

In  nothing  has  the  modern  Sunday  school  made 
more  rapid  strides  than  in  the  development  of 
methods  by  which  the  glad  hand  may  be  extended. 
This  fine  spirit  of  friendly  greeting  has  doubtless 
contributed  in  large  measure  to  the  increaised  attend- 
ance which  has  marked  Sunday-school  life  during 
recent  years. 

By  all  means  have  ushers,  not  stately  deacons  or 
stewards,  but  bright  young  men  and  women  who  will 
make  every  stranger  and  newcomer  glad  that  he  has 
come  to  the  school. 

XL     Classification  Officer. 

Many  graded  Sunday  schools  have  felt  the  need  of 
a  special  officer  who  will  classify  new  pupils  in  their 
proper  grades,  and  who  in  general  will  see  that  grade 
lines  are  preserved  and  that  promotion  day  is  prop- 
erly observed. 

Large  schools  will  require  yet  other  officers  than 
those  here  named.  The  school  should  have  as  many, 
and  only  as  many,  as  are  really  needed. 

XII.     The  Janitor. 

This  officer  is  an  essential  element  in  successful 
Sunday-school  work.  Blackboards  must  be  kept  in 
good  condition  and  in  proper  position,  erasers  and 
crayons  must  be  always  in  place ;  chairs  and  tables 


164        The  Present- Day  Sunday  School 

must  frequently  be  shifted ;  many  details  must  be 
cared  for.  If  the  janitor  is  alert  and  sympathetic, 
ready  to  anticipate  needs,  he  may  make  large  contri- 
butions to  the  work  of  the  school.  A  little  time 
given  by  the  pastor  or  superintendent  to  the  instruc- 
tion of  this  important  officer  might  be  well  spent. 

References  : 

"  The  Sunday  School  at  Work  "  (Revised  Edition),  West- 
minster Press.     $1.25. 

Nelson's  "  Encyclopedia  of  Sunday  Schools  and  Religious 
Education."      3  volumes.     ^15.00. 

Brown,  "  The  Superintendent  and  His  Work."      55  cents. 

Trumbull,  "  Yale  Lectures  on  the  Sunday  School."    $2.00. 

Wells,  **  The  Successful  Sunday  School  Superintendent." 
75  cents. 

Schauffler,  "  Ways  of  Working."     ^i.oo. 

Trumbull,  "  A  Model  Superintendent."      50  cents. 

Lawrance,  "  How  to  Conduct  a  Sunday  School."     ;^i.35' 

Cope,  "  The  Modern  Sunday  School  and  Its  Present  Day 
Task."     t\.\^. 

Paris,  Editor  "  The  Sunday  School  at  Work."     ^1.25. 

(The  three  books  last  named  discuss  helpfully  the  duties  of 
the  various  officers  of  the  Sunday  school.) 


XVI 

THE  TRAINING  OF  TEACHERS 

IT  is  impossible  to  trace  clearly  the  early  begin- 
nings of  the  modern  teacher  training  move- 
ment. It  is  easy  to  trace  in  the  educational 
efforts  of  the  Prophet  Samuel,  and  of  King  Je- 
hoshaphat,  and  of  the  great  Teacher,  the  seed- 
thought  of  the  modern  movement  for  popular  Sun- 
day-school teacher  training.  The  great  developments 
in  the  Kingdom  of  God  usually  come  so  without 
observation  that  it  is  not  easy  to  tell  how  they  came 
or  when  or  where.  With  the  advancing  tides  of 
educational  interest,  with  the  enlarged  emphasis  on 
the  Sunday  school  and  the  clearer  recognition  of  its 
place  in  the  general  system  of  education,  it  was 
inevitable  that  demand  should  arise  for  the  special 
training  of  Sunday-school  workers. 

The  lines  of  development  may  be  traced  as  follows  : 
1824 — The  American  Sunday-School  Union  pub- 
lished some  books  on  the  subject,  "  The  Teacher 
Taught  and  the  Teacher  Teaching."  These  are  re- 
garded '•  as  among  the  first  efforts  in  the  United 
States  to  provide  training  for  teachers." 

1857 — Pastor  (afterwards  Bishop)  J.  H.  Vincent 
organized,  in  Juliet,  Illinois,  what  seems  to  have  been 
the  first  teacher  training  class. 

165 


l66       The  Prcsent-Day  Sunday  School 

1861 — The  first  institutes  for  the  training  of  teach- 
ers were  held  in  Freeport,  Illinois,  and  Detroit, 
Michigan. 

1874 — Dr.  Vincent  began  the  Chautauqua  Move- 
ment, at  first  known  as  the  Sunday-School  Teachers* 
Assembly. 

1884 — The  Assembly  Normal  Union,  indorsed  by 
the  Chautauqua  Assembly,  issued  teacher  training 
courses  and  awarded  diplomas. 

1888 — Dr.  H.  M.  Hamill  became  Superintendent 
of  the  Teacher  Training  Department  of  the  Illinois 
Sunday-School  Association. 

1 90 1 — Southern  Baptists  under  leadership  of  Dr. 
B.  W.  Spilman  and  Southern  Methodists  led  by 
Dr.  H.  M.  Hamill  were  the  first  of  the  denomina- 
tions in  this  country  to  establish  departments  for  the 
training  of  Sunday-school  teachers. 

1908 — The  International  Sunday-School  Associa- 
tion, in  cooperation  with  denominational  representa- 
tives, adopted  First  Standard  and  Advanced  Standard 
Courses  with  certain  agreements  as  to  the  Courses, 
time-limits,  et  cetera. 

1914 — The  Sunday-School  Council  of  Evangelical 
Denominations,  in  conference  and  cooperation  with 
the  Educational  Committee  of  the  International  Sun- 
day-School Association,  agreed  that  the  courses  and 
policies  outlined  in  1908  were  not  adequate  for  the 
enlarging  work  of  teacher  training.  A  new  outline 
of  plans  and  policies  for  teacher  training  was  recom- 
mended by  the  Sunday-School  Council  in  January, 
19 16,  and   this  outline  has  been  approved  by  the 


Studies  in  Administration  167 

Executive  Committee  of  the  International  Sunday- 
School  Association. 

W/ij/  the  Trained  Teacher  f 

The  basal  need  in  all  of  our  Sunday-school  work 
is  trained  teachers.  Such  teachers  will  mean  the 
solution  of  many  problems  and  the  bringing  in  of 
a  new  day  for  religious  education.  There  is  serious 
unrest  as  regards  the  great  question  of  lesson  selec- 
tion. But  the  question  of  the  teacher  is,  after  all, 
more  important  than  the  question  of  lesson  selection. 
Wise  leaders  will  patiently  work  at  the  lesson  prob- 
lem and  will  doubtless  guide  us  in  right  paths.  The 
surest  and  quickest  remedy  for  the  difficulties  which 
confront  us  lies  in  the  training  of  our  teachers. 

The  Sunday-school  teacher  must  be  trained  because 
he  deals  with  life.  It  is  a  law  everywhere  recognized 
that  whoever  deals  with  life  must  be  trained,  and 
the  insistence  upon  training  increases  as  the  touch 
upon  life  becomes  closer  and  more  vital.  The  man 
who  digs  in  the  earth  or  who  breaks  rock  on  the 
pike  may  require  no  special  training;  he  does  not 
deal  with  life.  The  man  who  as  physician  or  sur- 
geon will  take  life  in  his  hands  must  be  trained.  The 
law  of  our  land  so  declares  and  in  no  uncertain 
terms.  The  law  does  more,  it  specifies  the  time  to 
be  employed  and  the  standard  to  be  met  in  his  prepa- 
ration. The  man  or  woman  who  will  teach  in  our 
public  schools  must  be  trained  because  life  is  to  be 
constantly  dealt  with  and  life  in  its  plastic  periods. 
Because  the  Sunday-school  teacher  deals  with  life 
he  must  have  guidance  and  instruction  for  his  task. 


i68        The  Present-Day  Sunday  School 

Such  teacher  touches  life  in  the  most  delicate  ways^ 
in  ways  which  affect  deeply  both  character  and 
destiny.  As  it  would  be  criminal  for  the  surgeon  to 
lay  untrained  and  unskilled  hands  on  men's  bodies, 
as  it  would  be  criminal  for  blundering  and  unskilled 
teachers  to  handle  hfe  in  our  pubHc  schools,  so  it 
is  unthinkable  that  religious  teachers  shall  without 
equipment  and  preparation  assume  to  guide  and  in- 
struct unfolding  hfe.  The  state  guards  with  jealous 
and  watchful  eye  the  interests  of  its  young  hfe : 
shall  our  churches  be  less  faithful  and  watchful  than 
the  state  ? 

The  Sunday-school  teacher  must  be  trained  because 
he  comes  inevitably  ijito  contrast  with  the  splendidly 
equipped  teachers  in  our  public  school  system.  These 
children  and  young  people  whom  we  teach  on  Sun- 
day are  five  days  in  the  week  under  the  care  of  men 
and  women  who  in  a  rare  way  have  mastered  the 
principles  of  discipline  and  teaching.  Far  be  it  from 
us  to  set  up  the  same  standard  for  our  voluntary 
Bible  school  teachers  as  are  set  up  for  technical  and 
professional  teachers  who  pursue  the  work  as  a  life 
calling.  Nevertheless  our  pupils  come  to  us  from 
the  hands  of  these  equipped  teachers  and  if  by  com- 
parison our  methods  appear  careless  and  slipshod, 
if  we  Sunday-school  teachers  suffer  seriously  in  the 
comparison,  our  pupils  will  feel  it,  if  they  do  not  put 
it  into  words,  and  our  school  and  the  mighty  things 
for  which  it  stands  will  suffer  as  a  result. 

Who  Ought  to  Study  the  Teacher  -  Training 
Courses  ? 


Studies  in  Administration  169 

1.  Sunday- School  Teachers. — The  course  is  espe- 
cially constructed  to  meet  their  needs.  It  is  a 
"  Teacher  "  Training  Course.  Teachers  by  hundreds 
testify  to  the  vision  and  blessing  which  have  come  to 
them  through  this  normal  study. 

2.  Prospective  Teachers. — In  the  Senior  Depart- 
ment of  every  school  there  are  devout  young  people 
who  some  day  may  be  teachers.  They  have  now 
habits  of  study.  By  all  means  induce  them  to  enter 
upon  this  normal  work.  While  thus  in  a  way  com- 
mitting themselves  to  the  service  of  teaching,  they 
will  at  the  same  time  be  preparing  for  such  service. 

3.  Students  in  our  Colleges. — These  young 
people  in  our  schools,  by  reason  of  their  superior 
advantages,  will  wield  a  decisive  influence  in  the  days 
to  come.  While  they  prepare  to  fill  the  various 
places  which  await  them,  let  them  prepare  for  a 
worthy  ministry  in  the  churches.  While  they  learn 
to  speak  the  languages  of  earth,  let  them  learn  to  speak 
and  to  teach  the  language  of  Zion.  Happily  most  of 
our  denominational  schools  offer  this  normal  work  in 
whole  or  in  some  of  its  parts  in  their  regular  curricula. 

4.  All  Officers  of  the  School. — Let  no  one  sup- 
pose because  we  talk  of"  teacher  "  training,  that  other 
officers  are  not  included.  This  Normal  Course  has 
in  view  the  school's  official  staff.  No  school  can  be 
at  its  best  without  trained  officers  who  have  full  and 
intelligent  sympathy  with  the  teaching  art. 

5.  The  Pastor. — The  colleges  and  seminaries  are 
now  turning  out  men  trained  for  Sunday-school  work. 
Ministers  who  missed  this  training  may  secure  it  in 


lyo       The  Present-Day  Sunday  School 

this  normal  study.  Many  successful  pastors  count 
this  work  worth  their  while. 

6.  All  Lovers  of  the  Bible  and  of  the  Bible 
School. — Many  persons  who  are  not  teachers  and 
who  have  no  special  plan  to  teach  are  finding  in  the 
Normal  Courses  interesting  and  profitable  studies. 

Suggested  Plans  for  Teacher  Training. 

There  are  many  ways  of  conducting  classes  for  the 
training  of  Sunday-school  teachers.  It  cannot  be 
said  that  any  one  of  these  ways  is  easy.  Real  edu- 
cational work  is  always  hard  work.  Easy  processes 
bring  poor  results.  The  training  of  Sunday-school 
teachers  is  a  difficult  task  and  the  work  should  be 
undertaken  with  this  fact  distinctly  in  mind.  We 
give  below  some  practical  plans,  all  of  which  have 
been  used  successfully. 

1.  A  special  normal  class  meeting  weekly.  This 
has  proven  most  generally  acceptable  and  useful — a 
special  class  meeting  weekly  at  its  own  separate  hour. 
Sometimes  the  suitable  hour  is  on  Sunday,  more  often 
it  is  a  special  week-day  evening  which  is  held  sacred 
for  this  purpose.  This  plan  involves  a  long,  slow 
process.  The  plan  may  be  varied  by  holding  two 
meetings  each  week. 

2.  A  special  "  night  school  "  continuing  from  two 
to  four  weeks.  Some  pastors  have  asked  their  people 
to  set  apart  a  special  season  during  which  they  will 
meet  each  night  for  normal  training.  If  such  work 
is  done  for  a  month,  real  progress  may  be  made. 

3.  A  "day  school"  continuing  for  a  week  or 
more.     Some  country  pastors  have  used  this  plan  to 


Studies  in  Administration  171 

advantage.  They  ask  the  workers  to  assemble  each 
day,  bringing  lunches  with  them.  They  work  two 
hours  in  the  morning  and  two  or  three  hours  in  the 
afternoon  in  good  old  school  fashion.  They  alternate 
study  periods  and  recitation  periods  and  seek  to  do 
thorough  work. 

4.  A  normal  class  related  to  the  prayer-meeting. 
While  this  is  not  the  best,  it  is  sometimes  the  best 
that  can  be  done.  The  plan  works  in  various  ways. 
The  normal  class  may  simply  meet  before  or  after 
prayer- meeting  and  have  no  organic  relation  to  that 
service.  Or  the  pastor  may  use  the  teacher-training 
lesson  as  the  subject  of  his  discussion  in  the  prayer- 
meeting  and  later  hold  a  session  of  the  class  for 
further  and  more  technical  study.  Certainly  the 
prayer-meeting  service  should  never  lose  its  distinct 
devotional  flavor.  Several  books  in  the  normal 
courses  yield  themselves  to  such  use  as  is  here  pro- 
posed, notably  books  on  evangelism  and  doctrines, 
and  the  Old  and  New  Testament  books. 

5.  A  normal  class  in  the  Sunday  school.  This 
must,  of  course,  be  a  class  composed  of  young  people 
and  others  who  are  not  teaching  and  who  desire  train- 
ing for  the  work  of  the  teacher.  A  Baraca,  or  Agoga, 
or  Berean  class,  or  other  classes  in  the  Sunday  school, 
may  for  the  time  being  study  one  of  the  books  of  a 
normal  course.  A  part  of  the  usual  time  for  recita- 
tion may  be  given  to  the  regular  lessons,  and  a  part 
may  be  given  to  the  normal  study,  or  a  class  may  for 
a  season  give  itself  wholly  to  a  study  of  some  of  the 
books  which  seem  to  be  suitable  for  such  use. 


172        The  Present-Day  Sunday  School 

6.  A  training  school  or  institute.  In  all  of  the 
above  plans,  it  has  been  assumed  that  the  pastor  or 
some  local  worker  will  lead  and  teach  the  teachers. 
The  plan  now  proposed  is  that  outside  workers, 
specialists,  will  come  and  direct  the  work.  Your 
State  Sunday-School  Secretary  or  other  Sunday- 
school  field  worker  may  be  induced  to  organize  a 
training  school  to  continue  a  week  or  more,  such 
worker  acting  as  dean  of  the  school  and  arranging 
for  a  faculty  of  trained  workers.  All  of  these  special 
workers  are  much  in  demand  and  they  usually  make 
their  dates  months  ahead.  Strike  in  and  make  your 
plea,  whether  you  live  in  the  city  or  in  the  country. 
Get  the  best  man  available  and  push  the  good  work 
along. 

7.  The  city  institute  for  religious  teachers.  This 
is  an  advanced  step  in  teacher  training.  It  is  based 
on  the  idea  of  a  highly  trained  faculty,  a  carefully 
arranged  curriculum  and  a  program  of  work  continu- 
ing throughout  the  year  and  from  year  to  year. 
Prof.  Walter  S.  Athearn  originated  this  type  of 
school  and  he  has  set  forth  the  plans  and  ideals  fully 
in  his  Httle  book,  "  The  City  Institute  for  Religious 
Teachers."  In  the  Foreword,  Professor  Athearn  tells 
of  the  beginnings  of  this  type  of  work  which  has  now 
spread  to  other  cities  : 

"  The  first  city  institute  organized  upon  modern 
lines  with  high  educational  ideals  was  established  in 
Des  Moines,  Iowa,  in  the  fall  of  191 1.  It  cut  entirely 
loose  from  the  old  standards,  repudiated  the  so  called 
standard   texts,   and   ignored  all  seals,  badges,  and 


Studies  in  Administration  173 

certificates.  From  the  beginning  it  sought  to  do  a 
high  grade  of  university  extension  work.  It  has 
completed  three  years  of  successful  school  work. 
Forty-one  church  schools  have  been  represented  in 
its  student  body.  Thirteen  religious  denominations 
have  cooperated  in  this  enterprise.  The  average 
attendance  for  each  session  for  the  entire  three  years 
has  been  above  one  hundred  and  fifty.  The  first 
class  to  complete  the  three  years'  course  numbered 
twenty-three  of  the  most  representative  citizens  of 
the  community." 

References  : 

McElfresh,  **  The  Training  of  Sunday-School  Teachers  and 
Officers."     75  cents. 

Hamill,  "  Sun day^- School  Teacher  Training."     50  cents. 


XVII   ^ 
THE  ORGANIZED  BIBLE  CLASS 

CLASS  organization  should  begin  in  simple 
form  in  the  Junior  Department  and  should  be 
developed  and  expanded  in  the  Intermediate 
and  Senior  Departments.  The  idea  attains  its  fullest 
development  only  in  the  Adult  Department. 

It  has  been  difficult  for  the  Sunday  school  to  adjust 
itself  to  the  new  conditions  resulting  from  the  coming 
of  large  numbers  of  adults  into  its  membership. 
Classes  of  adults  cannot  be  managed  and  directed 
like  classes  of  children.  Such  complaints  as  have 
arisen  against  organized  adult  classes  have  arisen 
partly  because  such  classes  have  not  always  related 
themselves  properly  to  the  school,  and  quite  as  much 
out  of  the  fact  that  the  school  has  not  expanded  in 
its  methods  and  ideas  to  give  proper  place  to  the 
organized  class. 

Types  of  Classes. 

The  organized  classes  most  commonly  found  in  the 
Sunday  schools  under  a  great  variety  of  names  are 
the  following  : 

The  Young  Men's  Class. 

The  Young  Women's  Class. 

The  Business  Men's  Class. 

The  Men's  Class. 

The  Women's  Class. 

174 


Studies  in  Administration  175 

The  Bible  Class  (Mixed). 

Besides  these,  the  following  have  been  listed  as 
suggestive  of  the  kinds  of  classes  which  may  be  re- 
quired to  meet  various  needs : 

Teacher  Training  Classes. 

College  Students'  Classes. 

Parents'  Classes. 

Mothers'  Classes. 

Home  Study  Classes. 

Classes  for  New  Americans. 

Perils  of  Class  Organization.  ^ 

Organization  means  power,  and  power  always  in- 
volves possible  peril.  Organized  classes,  particularly 
of  men,  have  at  times  shown  some  tendency  to 
develop  self-sufficiency  and  ultra-independence.  It 
should  be  said  that  complaints  of  this  kind  seem  to 
be  less  frequent  and  less  serious  during  recent  years 
than  in  the  earlier  history  of  the  organized  class 
movement.  Organized  adult  classes  must  be  ac- 
corded a  greater  measure  of  freedom  as  regards  their 
program,  the  disbursement  of  class  funds,  and  their 
activities,  than  can  properly  be  accorded  to  younger 
classes. 

Organized  classes  have,  on  occasions,  shown  some 
tendency  to  drift  from  the  central  object  of  all  Sunday- 
school  work,  which  is  the  study  of  the  Bible.  Indeed, 
in  very  large  classes  it  is  perhaps  difficult  to  do  more 
than  have  lectures  on  the  Scripture  passages  assigned 
for  study.  Class  activities,  social  functions,  athletics, 
are  good  and  proper  in  the  organized  class,  but  all 


176        l^e  Present- Day  Sunday  School 

should  be  kept  in  proper  relation  to  the  basal  object 
which  is  to  draw  people  together  for  the  study  of 
God's  Word. 


ORGANIZED  CLASS  SCHEMES 

Young  Men 

Name:  BEREAN. 

Colors  :  White,  nile  green  and  gold. 

Motto:  Acts  17: 11. 

Verse:    Search   the  Scriptures.     (John 

5:39.) 
Aim :  To  behold  wondrous  things  out 

of  thy  Law. 
Song :   Break  Thou  the  Bread  of  Life, 

Lord,  unto  me. 


m 


Name:  BARACA. 

Colors  :  Dark  blue  and  white. 

Motto :  We  do  things. 

Platform :  Young  men  at  work  for  young  men,  all 

standing  by  the  Bible  and  the  Bible  school. 
Aim :  To  win  young  men  to  the  class,  to  Christ, 

and  to  Christian  service. 


Young  Women 

Name:  FIDELIS. 

Colors  :  Old  gold  and  black. 

Motto :  Be  thou  faithful  unto  death  and  I 
will  give  thee  a  crown  of  life. 

Aim  :  Every  member  of  our  class  a  Chris- 
tian. 

Verse :  Daniel  12  :  3. 

Song:  Will  There  be  any  Stars  in  My 
Crown  ? 


Name  :  EUZELIAN.     Euzelian  is  a  word  of  Greek 

derivation  signifying  "  Zeal  for  the  good." 
Colors  :  Purple  and  gold. 
Motto  :  "  Fervent  in  spirit,  serving  the  Lord  "(Rom. 

12:11). 
Aim  :  To  bring  young  women  to  Jesus  and  lead  them 

into  service. 
Verse:  "Whatsoever  thy  hand  findeth  to  do,  do  it 

with  thy  might  "  (Ecc.  9  :  10). 
Song  :  "Brightly  beams  our  Father's  mercy." 


Studies  in  Administration  177 

Name:  PHILATHEA. 

Colors  :  Light  blue  and  ■white. 

Motto  :  We  do  things. 

Platform:  Young  women  at  work  for  young  women, 

all  standing  by  the  Bible  and  the  Bible  School. 
Aim  :  To  win  young  women  to  the  class,  to  Christ, 

and  to  Christian  service. 

Mothers 

Name :  T.  E.  L.  CLASS.     (Timothy,  Eunice,  Lois.) 

Colors :  Nile  green  and  white. 

Motto :  And  a  little  child  shall  lead  them. 

Flower :  White  carnation. 

Aims:  To  train  our  children  to  do  right;  to  extend 
our  help  and  hospitality  ;  to  keep  in  touch  with 
the  married  ladies  of  the  church ;  to  learn  how 
to  do  the  works  of  the  church. 

Song:  My  Faith  Looks  Up  to  Thee. 

Training  Class 

Name :  TEACHER  TRAINING  CLASS. 

Colors :  Red,  white  and  blue. 

Motto  :  Thy  word  have  I  hid  in  my  heart.     (Psalm 

119:11.) 
Aim :    My   heart    in  the  work  ;    the   Bible    in  my 

heart ;  my  mind  trained  for  service. 
Verse:  2  Timothy  2:15. 
Song  :  The  King's  Business. 

Two  Types  of  Class  Organization. 

The  earlier  type  of  class  organization,  and  one 
which  has  been  widely  used,  divides  class  duties 
between  officers  and  committees  somewhat  as  fol- 
lows:  (i)  Officers;  President,  Vice-President,  Secre- 
tary, Treasurer,  and  Teacher;  (2)  Committees;  Ex- 
ecutive, Devotional,  Membership,  and  Social.  The 
duties  of  the  officers  and  of  the  several  committees 
are  suggested  by  their  names. 

Another  type  of  organization  dispenses  entirely 
with  committees,  save  as  they  may  be  temporarily 


178       The  Present-Day  Sunday  School 

appointed  for  special  purposes,  and  assigns  all  class 
work  and  duties  to  the  officers.  The  proposed  or- 
ganization is  somewhat  as  follows : 

(i)  President — Management. 

?2)  First  Vice-President — Enlargement. 

(3)  Second  Vice-President — Fellowship. 

(4)  Third  Vice-President — ReHgious  Work. 

(5)  Secretary — Records,  Literature. 

(6)  Treasurer — Finances. 

(7)  Reporter — Publicity. 

(8)  Teacher — Teaching  Lesson. 

There  seem  to  be  distinct  practical  advantages  in 
the  last  named  plan,  that  of  assigning  all  class  work 
to  officers. 

(i)  This  plan  has  the  advantage  of  simplicity. 
There  is  a  single  line  of  assignment  instead  of  a 
double  line.  This  is  especially  advantageous  in  small 
classes. 

(2)  It  has  the  advantage  of  definiteness.  In  all 
cases  one  individual  is  held  responsible  for  assigned 
duties. 

(3)  It  is  flexible.  If  the  class  is  large  and  its 
work  intricate  and  varied,  the  number  of  officers  may 
be  increased  and  each  officer  may  utilize  other  mem- 
bers as  they  are  needed. 

Among  well-known  class  movements  which  have 
used  this  method  of  organization,  we  may  name 
the  Berean-Fidelis  and  the  Agoga-Amoma.  Results 
have  been  eminently  satisfactory. 

The  Organized  Class  in  Session. 

Let  us  assume  that  the  class  has   met  with  the 


Studies  in  Administration  179 

school  in  the  opening  exercises  and  is  now  at  liberty 
to  continue  its  unbroken  session  until  the  close  of  the 
school  hour,  say  for  fifty  minutes. 

I.  Assemble  in  class  room  (five  minutes).  As  the 
members  pass  into  the  class  room,  the  proper  officer 
or  committeeman,  with  his  associates,  extends  the  glad 
hand  and  helps  to  create  a  general  friendly  atmos- 
phere ;  the  secretary  passes  to  the  members  envelopes 
for  individual  record  and  offering ;  the  librarian  hands 
each  member  a  Bible. 

II.  Call  to  order  and  conduct  of  business,  the 
president  of  the  class  presiding  (ten  minutes). 

1.  Prayer. 

2.  Written  reports  of  committees. 

3.  Reception  of  new  members. 

4.  Miscellaneous  business. 

5.  Announcements. 

III.  The  lesson  taught  by  the  teacher  (thirty  min- 
utes). In  harmony  with  the  genius  of  the  organized 
class,  the  teacher  should  make  large  use  of  the  mem- 
bers in  teaching  the  lesson.  The  pure  lecture  method 
is  directly  opposed  to  the  theory  of  the  organized 
class. 

IV.  Benediction  and  parting  moments  (five  min- 
utes). Informal  welcome  to  new  members,  personal 
work,  invitations  to  attend  preaching  service,  confer- 
ences to  arrange  for  committee  meetings  and  to  plan 
for  other  class  business. 

The  Organized  Class  Room. 

The  room  should  be  assigned  to  the  class  for  its 


l8o       The  Present-Day  Sunday  School 

exclusive  use.  It  should  be  furnished  by  the  class 
and  should  be  open  not  only  on  Sunday  but  at  all 
times  during  the  week.  Chairs  are  better  than  other 
types  of  seats,  preferably  desk  chairs,  or  chairs  hav- 
ing the  arm  rest  for  note-making  and  to  contain  Bible 
and  hymn-book.  There  should  be  a  table  for  the 
president,  a  desk  for  the  secretary,  suitable  racks  for 
hats  and  coats,  pictures  and  mottoes  on  the  wall,  such 
things  as  will  contribute  to  the  comfort  of  the  class. 
This  room,  hke  all  other  department  and  class  rooms, 
should  be  accessible  without  the  necessity  of  passing 
through  any  other  room.  It  should  be  large  enough 
to  seat  without  crowding  the  largest  ordinary  attend- 
ance of  the  class. 

A  supply  of  good  Bibles,  preferably  the  American 
Revised  Version,  sufficient  in  number  to  insure  each 
member  a  Bible,  involves  no  large  expense  and  would 
seem  to  be  almost  a  necessity. 

Building  up  the  Organized  Class, 

Practically  all  of  the  suggestions  in  the  chapter  on 
"  Holding  and  Recruiting  Pupils "  will,  with  slight 
adaptation,  be  applicable  to  the  work  of  increasing 
class  attendance. 

(i)  First  in  importance  is  to  have  a  good  class,  a 
class  which  really  ministers  to  the  needs  of  the  mem- 
bers. This  is  helpful  in  securing  new  members  and 
is  indispensable  in  holding  them. 

(2)  All  classes  which  succeed  in  maintaining  a 
large  attendance  give  careful  thought  to  the  social 
life.  A  cordial  welcome  with  a  glad  hand  greeting, 
prompt  recognition  of  absence  and  faithful  attention 


Studies  in  Administration  181 

in  sickness,  social  visits  to  those  much  alone  in  the 
world,  these  and  similar  social  courtesies  go  far 
towards  building  up  a  class. 

Besides  these  somewhat  incidental  touches,  the 
class  should  study  the  social  conditions  and  needs  of 
its  members  and  its  prospective  members,  and  seek, 
by  regular  or  occasional  socials,  and  in  every  way 
that  tact  and  sympathy  may  suggest,  to  meet  these 
needs. 

The  following  incident  is  both  stimulating  and 
suggestive :  ^ 

"  The  chairman  of  the  hustlers'  committee  (by  invi- 
tation of  the  president  of  the  class)  rose,  and,  coming 
before  the  class,  said  he  wished  to  give  a  report  of 
the  hustlers'  committee  for  the  past  week.  He  said, 
*  Mr.  George  Jones  went  to  work  Monday  morning 
for  the  City  Hardware  Company.  Being  a  stranger 
in  town,  our  hustlers  began  to  hustle  for  him  the  first 
day.     Who  saw  Mr.  Jones  on  Monday?' 

"  A  young  man  rose  and  said, '  I  called  on  Mr. 
Jones  Monday,  presenting  our  class  card  of  invitation, 
for  which  he  thanked  me.* 

" '  Tuesday  ? ' 

"  Another  man  arose  and  said,  *  I  called  on  him 
Tuesday,  presented  our  card,  and  he  said  he  was 
much  obliged.' 

" '  Wednesday  ? ' 

"  '  I  called  on  Mr.  Jones  Wednesday.  He  said  that 
two  other  men  had  called  upon  him  this  week,  and 
he  thought  we  were  a  live  class.' 

1  Marshall  A.  Hudson,  "  The  How  Book,"  pages  42-43. 


l82       The  Present- Day  Sunday  School 

"  '  Thursday  ?  ' 

" '  I  called  upon  Mr.  Jones  Thursday.  He  said 
three  men  had  called  on  him  this  week  and  he  thought 
we  must  be  a  great  class  and  he  would  be  here 
to-day.' 

"  '  Friday  ? ' 

" '  Mr.  Jones  was  very  much  surprised  when  I 
called  on  him  Friday,  and  said  he  would  certainly  be 
here  to-day,  and  he  was  very  much  pleased  at  the 
number  of  invitations  he  had  received.' 

'•  *  Saturday  ? ' 

" '  I  called  Saturday,  and  Mr.  Jones  said  that  he 
would  either  come  to  this  class  on  Sunday  or  move 
out  of  town.' 

"*  Well,  who  went  to  see  Mr.  Jones  to-day?' 

"  *  I  called  upon  Mr.  Jones  this  morning  and  found 
him  in  bed,  but  I  waited  until  he  had  his  breakfast  and 
dressed,  and  here  he  is,'  said  the  man,  as  he  reached 
down  and  lifted  the  stranger  to  his  feet." 

(3)  Organized  classes  should  seek  proper  publicity. 
This  can  be  done  in  a  great  variety  of  ways.  Local 
conditions  must  determine  the  methods.  Tactful  ad- 
vertising will  help.  Neatly  framed  placards  in  the 
post-office,  the  hotels,  the  railroad  stations  and  other 
public  places,  neatly  printed  cards,  notices  in  the  news- 
papers, announcements  in  the  church  bulletin,  these 
and  similar  methods  have  been  helpfully  used. 

How  Large  Should  the  Class  Be  ? 

Since  the  coming  of  class  organization  we  have 
seen  classes  attain  to  great  numbers,  far  into  the  hun- 
dreds and,  in  some  cases,  passing  the  thousand  mark. 


Studies  in  Administration  183 

Thus  far  we  do  not  seem  to  have  paused  to  consider 
the  principles  which  should  determine  the  size  of  the 
class. 

Irving  F.  Wood  discusses  the  question  with  dis- 
crimination : 

"  Should  the  adult  class  aim  to  be  as  large  as  pos- 
sible, to  comprehend  all  the  adults  in  the  church  ? 
Should  it  be  the  adult  class  of  the  Sunday  school  ?  I 
answer  without  hesitation,  No.  It  is  true  there  is  a 
glamour  about  mere  numbers  which  makes  a  large 
class,  like  a  roUing  snowball,  increase  in  proportion 
to  its  size.  There  are  certain  cases  where  the  strong 
personality  of  the  teacher  gathers  a  large  class  who 
would  not  otherwise  be  drawn  together.  Such  cases 
are  neither  common  nor  ideal.  In  recent  adult  class 
movements,  with  machinery  largely  designed  to  mul- 
tiply numbers  and  with  much  emphasis  on  attractive 
features,  classes  of  a  hundred  or  a  hundred  and  fifty 
are  not  unknown.  The  need  of  adult  classes  is  so 
great  that  one  hesitates  to  criticize  them  because  they 
seem  to  succeed  too  well,  but  we  must  look  upon 
such  overgrown  classes  as  a  means  to  something  bet- 
ter in  the  future.  The  experience  of  colleges  and 
universities  is  of  value  for  the  Sunday  school.  These 
institutions,  with  trained  teachers  and  all  the  aids 
which  professional  education  can  give,  regard  forty 
as  about  the  largest  size  for  a  properly  conducted 
class.  Of  course  mere  lecture  classes  may  increase 
indefinitely.  True,  the  adult  class  is  not  a  college 
class,  and  has  no  *  recitation/  but  it  has,  if  it  is  an 
ideal  class,  discussion,  which  Hmits  the  convenient 


184       The  Present-Day  Sunday  School 

size  in  much  the  same  way.  The  rule  is  this  :  The 
ideal  class  will  not  be  too  large  for  free,  individual  dis- 
cussion. This  will  limit  the  convenient  membership 
to  forty  or  fifty.  Above  that  number  it  is  not  a  class, 
but  an  audience.  Better  six  classes  of  twenty-five 
than  one  class  of  one  hundred  and  fifty."  * 

References  : 

See,  **  The  Teaching  of  Bible  Classes."     75  cents. 
Wood,  "Adult  Class  Study."    75  cents. 
Gregory,  **  How  to  Teach  the  Bible."    15  cents. 
Watts,  **  Convention  Adult  Bible  Classes."     25  cents. 
Hudson,  "  The  How  Book."     50  cents. 
Held,  "  The  Organized  Class."       50  cents. 
Wells,  "  The  Ideal  Adult  Bible  Class  in  the  Sunday  School." 
50  cents. 

*  Irving  F.  Wood,  "  Adult  Class  Study,"  page  24. 


XVIII 
HOLDING  AND  RECRUITING  PUPILS 

THIS  is  a  vital  question.  The  Sunday  school 
must  recruit  its  own  membership  and,  in 
the  nature  of  the  case,  it  must  be  mission- 
ary in  its  spirit.  Adverse  conditions  are  now  met 
which  were  unknown  two  or  three  generations  ago. 
The  decHne  in  the  reverent  observance  of  the  Lord's 
Day ;  the  almost  innumerable  attractions  and  diver- 
sions, particularly  in  our  cities,  which  compete  with 
the  Sunday  school ;  the  heavy  pressure  which  our 
modern  complex  life  puts  upon  all  classes,  even  upon 
children ;  these  and  other  adverse  conditions  must  be 
faced  by  the  modern  Sunday  school  and  must  be  taken 
into  account  in  its  efforts  to  maintain  its  membership. 

Co7istant  losses  are  inevitable. 

Recent  investigations  seem  to  indicate  that,  taking 
the  country  through,  the  constituency  of  our  Sunday 
schools  changes  every  four  or  five  years.  Thus, 
twenty  to  twenty-five  per  cent,  of  the  pupils  in  the 
average  school  are  lost  each  year.  These  figures  may 
or  may  not  be  entirely  accurate.  At  best  they  can 
be  only  deductions.  Assuming  that  they  are  in  the 
neighborhood  of  the  facts,  they  offer  food  for  thought. 
No  school  can  long  remain  stationary.  No  school 
can  "  hold  its  own  "  save  by  constantly  adding  to  its 
membership. 

185 


i86       The  Present-Day  Sunday  School 

Much  of  the  leakage  is  preventable. 

Before  we  consider  methods  and  plans  for  securing 
new  members,  let  us  consider  how  we  may  hold  the 
members  we  already  have.  A  school  for  deficient 
children  in  Frankfort,  Ky.,  subjects  new  pupils  to  the 
following  test :  They  are  asked  to  fill  with  water  a 
tub  from  which  the  water  is  constantly  pouring  out. 
The  child  who  will  continue  to  pour  water  in  without 
taking  notice  of  its  escape  is  considered  hopelessly 
deficient.  By  this  test  some  of  our  Sunday  schools, 
it  is  feared,  would  have  to  be  graded  as  hopeless.  If 
we  add  fifteen  per  cent,  annually  to  the  membership 
and  lose  twenty  per  cent,  we  will  not  speedily  build 
up  a  large  school. 

"  Follow-up "  methods  in  abundance  have  been 
devised.  The  first  step  will  be  to  locate  the  losses. 
What  departments  show  losses  and  exactly  what 
losses  does  each  department  show  ?  Go  further : 
learn  what  grades  show  losses  and  determine  the  oc- 
casion of  these  losses.  Accurate  information  here 
constitutes  the  only  sane  basis  of  efforts  to  deal  with 
the  problem  of  losses. 

Promptness  and  tact  in  looking  up  absentees  is  a 
key  to  success  in  stopping  losses.  Some  schools 
have  a  system  by  which  the  names  of  all  absent 
pupils  are  handed  to  the  pastor,  the  superintendent 
and  the  teacher.  Calls  are  made  by  these  officers, 
the  teacher  calling  Monday,  the  superintendent 
Tuesday,  and  the  pastor  Wednesday.  Some  schoolf 
have  printed  messages  ready  prepared  and  promptly 
mail  them  to  absent  pupils.     Best  of  all  is  the  living 


Studies  in  Administration  187 

voice  and  the  personal  touch.  Here,  as  elsewhere  in 
Sunday-school  work,  the  telephone  will  be  used. 
The  point  to  be  insisted  upon  is  that  the  first  ab- 
sence may  constitute  a  critical  time  and  that  prompt- 
ness and  sympathy  are  needed  to  save  the  day. 

It  has  been  found  that  serious  losses  are  often  ex- 
perienced in  the  later  grades  of  the  Intermediate  De- 
partment and  in  the  earher  Senior  grades.  There 
appear  to  be  special  reasons  why  these  adolescent 
youths  tend  to  leave  the  Sunday  school.  These 
reasons  should  be  carefully  studied.  An  investiga- 
tion of  a  school  which  was  unusually  successful  in 
holding  adolescents  showed  the  following :  * 

(a)  The  school  was  entirely  graded. 

(b)  Much  was  made  of  the  home  work. 

(c)  The  classes  were  organized  by  years,  as  in 
high  school. 

(d)  There  was  a  definite  time  for  graduation 
(twenty  years  of  age). 

(e)  Each  teacher  acted  as  a  sub-pastor,  feehng  a 
sense  of  responsibility  for  the  pupils  in  his  care. 

(f)  Pupils  graduated  from  the  Sunday  school 
into  the  Graduate  or  Adult  Department. 

The  conditions  in  this  school  and  the  successes 
achieved  by  the  school  lead  to  the  obvious  remark 
that  a  prime  essential  in  holding  the  school  constit- 
uency is  to  meet  the  growing  needs  of  the  pupils  at 
every  advancing  stage.  Make  it  worth  while  for 
them  to  come  and  they  will  come.  Offer  them  what 
they  need  and  they  will  come  to  get  it. 

*  ••  The  Sunday  School  at  Work,"  page  345. 


l88        The  Present- Day  Sunday  School 

It  is,  of  course,  always  helpful  to  recognize  faithful 
attendance.  Some  schools  send  to  the  home  a  monthly 
report  showing  the  record  of  the  pupil.  Many  schools 
have  bestowed  some  simple  token,  as  a  Testament  or 
Bible,  for  unbroken  attendance  through  a  given 
period  of  time.  This  may  be  desirable  in  a  mission 
school  and  occasionally  in  other  schools,  though  gifts 
of  intrinsic  value  are  a  questionable  expedient.  Dig- 
nified recognition  or  honorable  mention  is  better. 

Securing  new  pupils. 

We  have  seen  that,  in  view  of  inevitable  losses,  the 
Sunday-school  membership  must  be  constantly  re- 
cruited. No  one  method  of  recruiting  new  pupils 
can  be  said  to  be  the  best.  Methods  which  will 
bring  success  in  one  school  will  fail  in  another. 
Methods  which  will  arouse  interest  and  accomplish 
results  at  one  time  will  fail  at  another  time.  As  in 
holding  pupils  already  enrolled,  so  in  securing  new  pu- 
pils, the  first  consideration  is  to  have  a  school  which, 
supplying  vital  needs,  offers  constant  attraction. 

(i)     Make  a  survey  of  the  field. 

Every  Sunday  school  should  have  a  definite  field 
for  which  it  holds  itself  responsible.  Experience 
shows  that  in  cities  the  vast  majority  of  Sunday- 
school  pupils  come  from  within  a  radius  of  half  a  mile 
of  the  assembly  place  and  in  the  country  from  within 
a  radius  of  a  mile  and  a  half.  The  definite  territory 
for  which  the  school  is  responsible  should  be  surveyed 
and  carefully  studied.  The  ideal  for  the  school  is  to 
reach  every  person  young  and  old  in  that  territory 
upon  whom  no  other  school  can  lay  special  claim. 


Studies  in  Administration  189 

(2)     Take  a  census  of  the  field. 

A  concerted  movement  in  which  all  evangelical 
churches  unite  is  to  be  preferred.  With  careful 
preparation  and  full  cooperation,  it  is  possible  to 
make  a  house  to  house  canvass  of  any  given  com- 
munity and  in  one  afternoon  secure  information 
which  will  furnish  an  intelligent  basis  for  recruiting 
efforts.  In  some  sections  this  method  has  been  used 
most  effectively.  Where  it  has  not  seemed  prac- 
ticable to  secure  general  cooperation,  sometimes  one 
school  has  sent  its  forces  afield  to  take  a  census  of 
its  territory  and  has  used  the  results  obtained  as  a 
basis  for  gathering  in  new  pupils.  In  all  recruiting 
efforts,  due  regard  will  of  course  be  accorded  to  the 
rights  of  other  schools  and  even  the  semblance  of 
proselyting  will  be  carefully  avoided. 

In  taking  a  census  it  is  customary  to  furnish  the  can- 
vassers blank  cards  somewhat  as  follows  for  securing 
the  desired  information  : 


Name 

Street 

No.        

Sex? _ 

Church  Member  ? 

..  Age  ? 

Attend  S*  S»  ? 

Qitsrch  Preference  ?... 
Remarks : 

• .— ..- 

1 

190        The  Present-Day  Sunday-School 

(3)  Advertise  the  school. 

This  may  be  done  in  many  ways.  Let  the  good 
work  and  the  abounding  fellowship  of  the  school 
speak  for  itself.  This  is  the  sanest  and  most  effective 
of  all  advertising.  A  thoroughgoing  Cradle  Roll 
and  a  live  Home  Department  contribute  in  practical 
ways  to  the  keeping  of  the  school  before  the  people 
of  the  community.  Vigorous  organized  classes  help 
materially  in  this  direction.  Special  Days  are  also 
of  service  in  this  connection. 

Modern  Sunday  schools  are  putting  the  printed 
page  to  an  ever-enlarging  use  in  keeping  their  claims 
before  the  public.  Notices  in  the  church  bulletin 
concerning  plans  and  programs  are  helpful.  Weekly 
papers  and  many  daily  papers  are  wiUing  to  give 
space  to  bright  news  items  regarding  Sunday-school 
work.  Special  stationery,  neat  cards,  printed  pro- 
grams, may  all  be  used  to  advantage. 

(4)  Every  member  a  recruiting  agent. 

This  is  the  most  effective  of  all  methods  of  increas- 
ing Sunday-school  attendance.  The  pastor  always 
alert  in  quest  of  new  scholars,  the  superintendent  and 
his  fellow-officers  constantly  on  the  lookout,  every 
teacher  and  every  pupil  seizing  eagerly  any  oppor- 
tunity to  urge  the  interests  of  the  school,  this  is  the 
highway  to  enlarged  attendance.  No  printed  ma- 
terial compares  with  the  glad  hand  and  the  Hving 
voice.  The  pastor  of  the  famous  Methodist  Episco- 
pal Sunday  School  in  Brazil,  Indiana,  which,  in  a 
town  of  less  than  ten  thousand  population,  is  said 
to  have  a  total  enrollment  of  nearly  five  thousand, 


Studies  in  Administration  191 

gives   the    following    as    the   secret  of  the   results 
achieved  :  * 

(a)  Organization — thorough,  compact,  and  com- 
plete. 

(b)  Publicity — sane,  sound,  attractive,  and  orig- 
inal. 

(c)  Solicitation — carrying  your  goods  to  the  mar- 
ket as  the  business  man  solicits  the  retailer. 

(5)  A  hearty  welcome. 

Those  of  us  who  feel  thoroughly  at  home  in  the 
Sunday  school  may  find  it  difficult  to  appreciate  the 
feeling  of  those  who  are  coming  for  the  first  time  as 
strangers.  Certain  it  is  that  a  glad  welcome  and 
sympathetic  handling  at  that  time  go  far  towards 
binding  the  newcomer  to  the  school.  Many  schools 
have  the  good  custom  of  presenting  the  new  pupils 
at  some  time  during  the  program  in  a  way  to  make 
them  feel  that  they  have  really  "  joined." 

(6)  Special  Days. 

The  observance  of  special  days  in  the  Sunday 
school  has  long  been  used  as  a  means  of  increasing 
the  attendance.  The  announcement  and  advertising 
of  the  special  occasion  brings  the  school  before  the 
public,  and  the  unusual  program  tends  to  attract  and 
interest.  With  rare  exceptions  the  special  day  pro- 
grams should  be  so  arranged  as  not  to  interfere 
with  the  regular  Bible  lessons.  Among  the  days 
most  commonly  observed  are  these:  "Christmas," 
"  Thanksgiving,"  *'  Rally,"  "  Go-to-Sunday-SchooV 
**  Decision." 

1"  The  Sunday  School  at  Work,"  page  343, 


192        The  Present-Day  Sunday  School 

(7)     Contests  and  Rewards. 

From  the  earliest  history  of  Sunday-school  work 
these  appear  to  have  been  favorite  methods  of  secur- 
ing new  members.  Sometimes  the  contest  is  be- 
tween schools,  sometimes  between  classes  or  depart- 
ments. The  contest  is  a  device  of  doubtful  value. 
It  often  leads  to  rivalry  which  is  unhealthy  and 
sometimes  to  methods  which  are  unfair.  Besides, 
the  effects  of  a  sudden  ingathering  of  a  large  num- 
ber of  new  members  is  rarely  permanently  satisfac- 
tory. The  tides  often  go  out  as  suddenly  as  they 
came  in  and  they  sometimes  carry  out  with  them 
material  previously  won. 

The  question  of  rewards  has  already  been  men- 
tioned. A  reward  is  at  best  only  a  stimulant  to  do 
what  ought  to  be  done.  The  ideal  is  to  create  the 
right  attitude  of  mind  and  heart  and  to  secure  serv- 
ice for  the  joy  of  rendering  service.  Rewards  may 
be  used  under  certain  conditions,  provided  they  are 
not  of  money  value  and  provided  they  are  not  of- 
fered in  contests  in  which  only  one  person  may  be 
successful. 

Dr.  William  E.  Hatcher  says  a  strong  word  on 
this  subject :  * 

"  There  is  deadly  mildew  in  the  subsidiary  taint. 
The  scent  of  the  loaves  and  fishes  is  a  debasing 
aroma  in  any  community.  When  once  a  school  re- 
sorts to  a  selfish  appeal  for  the  improvement  of  its 
own  life  it  has  sown  seeds  whose  obnoxious  fruits 

»  Dr.  William  E.  Hatcher,  "  The  Pastor  and  the  Sunday  School,' 
page  98. 


Studies  in  Administration  193 

will  never  be  exterminated.  I  do  not  plead  for  the 
exclusion  of  rewards  and  honors,  though  I  dread 
even  them — dread  them  when  they  are  given  not  as 
baits  to  newcomers,  but  as  gracious  testimonials  to 
the  children  for  unusual  efforts.  There  is  in  some 
schools  the  power  to  sanctify  the  secondary  appeal 
and  make  it  a  means  of  grace. 

"  I  knew  a  school  which  offered  a  prize  in  gold  to 
the  one  who  brought  in  the  largest  number  of  schol- 
ars during  the  year.  It  was  won  for  many  suc- 
cessive years  by  the  same  man,  a  workman  in  a  rail- 
road shop.  He  was  a  poor  man  with  stinted  in- 
come ;  he  had  a  family  and  rented  his  house  and 
was  not  robust.  He  always  appeared  at  the  anni- 
versary and  claimed  his  five  dollar  piece.  Ah,  hear 
the  rest,  it  is  good  to  tell.  He  held  that  money  as 
an  extra  kindness  from  the  Lord,  too  sacred  in  his 
view  for  common  use,  and  always  at  the  moment  of 
receiving  it  he  publicly  donated  it  to  some  benevo- 
lent or  missionary  object.  It  was  his  artful  method 
of  sanctifying  the  reward  system  in  the  school,  and 
it  extinguished  the  very  temptation  to  seek  to  build 
up  the  school  by  selfish  appeals.  His  example  was 
a  divine  contagion." 

As  an  incentive  to  faithful  recruiting  we  do  well 
to  remember  that  the  pupils  which  we  have  are  for 
the  most  part  the  pupils  which  are  not  wholly  de- 
pendent on  us.  The  pupils  which  we  have  not  are 
the  pupils  which  need  us  most.  The  children  who 
will  of  themselves  attend  Sunday  school  are,  for  the 
most  part,  children  who  would  under  any  circum- 


194       '^^^  Present-Day  Sunday  School 

stances  be  taught  the  Bible.  These  children  come 
from  the  home  of  the  pastor,  from  the  homes  of  the 
deacons  or  elders  or  stewards,  largely  from  homes 
where  religious  education  will  not  be  neglected.  But 
the  people  out  yonder  who,  left  to  themselves,  will 
not  attend  Sunday  school  are  almost  wholly  without 
instruction  in  the  Bible  and  religion.  This  thought 
may  well  send  us  afield  for  new  recruits  in  our  Sun- 
day schools. 

References  : 

Hurlbut,  "  Organizing  and  Building  up  the  Sunday  School." 
65  cents. 

Mead,  "  Modern  Methods  in  Sunday-School  Work  "  (chap- 
ters 9-1 1).     60  cents. 

Lawrance,  "Special  Days  in  the  Sunday  School."  ^1.35. 


XIX 

SUNDAY-SCHOOL  ARCHITECTURE 

f  I  ^  HE  limits  of  this  volume  render  it  impossible 
to  give  any  extended  discussion  of  Sunday- 
school  architecture.  But  this  question  of 
housing  and  equipment  touches  so  vitally  the  life  of 
the  school  and  affects  so  immediately  all  questions 
of  organization  and  teaching,  as  to  constitute  it  a 
preeminent  problem  which  we  cannot  overlook. 

In  the  early  history  of  the  Sunday  school,  little 
concern  was  felt  as  to  the  place  of  meeting,  and  ques- 
tions of  equipment  were  not  seriously  raised.  The 
school  usually  met  in  a  schoolhouse  or  in  some 
private  home.  When  the  school  began  to  be  ad- 
mitted into  the  church  building,  no  change  was  made 
in  the  building  or  furniture  and  nothing  was  done 
for  the  accommodation  of  teachers  or  pupils.  Grad- 
ually men  of  influence  began  to  appreciate  the  possi- 
bilities and  the  growing  power  of  this  service  for  the 
teaching  of  the  Bible.  Developments  came  slowly 
but  surely.  The  erection  of  a  new  type  of  building 
in  Akron,  Ohio,  designed  to  offer  facilities  for  Sun- 
day-school work  marked  a  distinct  step.  The  new 
type  came  to  be  known  as  the  Akron  building  and 
the  Akron  plan  was  widely  used  throughout  the 
country.  Mr.  Lewis  Miller  is  said  to  have  conceived 
the  plan  while  on  a  picnic  with  his  Sunday  school. 

195 


196       The  Present-Day  Sunday  School 

As  the  people  ranged  themselves  in  circles  on  the 
slopes  of  the  cup-shaped  hills,  the  idea  carne  to  him 
that  a  building  similar  to  this  natural  amphitheater 
might  be  erected  with  an  outer  rim  of  rooms  on  the 
first  and  second  floors  opening  into  the  main  assembly 
room.  Writing  to  a  large  number  of  practical  work- 
ers for  suggestions,  he  received  from  Bishop  John 
H.  Vincent,  an  honored  Sunday-school  leader,  this 
word :  "  Provide  for  togetherness  and  separateness  ; 
have  a  room  in  which  the  whole  school  can  be 
brought  together  in  a  moment  for  simultaneous  ex- 
ercises, and  with  the  minimum  of  movement  be 
divided  into  classes  for  uninterrupted  class  work." 

The  Akron  plan,  with  its  great  number  of  class 
rooms  opening  into  the  main  room,  provided  fully 
for  the  togetherness  and  the  separateness  suggested 
by  Bishop  Vincent.  The  first  Akron  building  was 
erected  in  Akron,  Ohio,  in  1867.  The  Uniform 
Lessons  came  in  1872,  and  by  the  genius  of  the 
work  which  they  required  they  contributed  largely 
to  the  popularity  of  the  Akron  type.  The  one 
lesson  seemed  to  call  for  one  assembly  and  the 
superintendent  came  to  lay  much  stress  on  the  re- 
view of  the  lesson  before  the  whole  school. 

The  coming  of  the  Graded  Lessons  and  the  grad- 
ing and  departmentizing  of  the  school  has  brought 
new  conditions  and  different  requirements.  Any 
treatment  of  Sunday-school  housing  at  the  present 
time  would  differ  widely  from  the  most  approved 
treatments,  say  of  the  late  nineties.  We  now  lay 
less  stress  on  the  general  assembly  and  emphasize 


Studies  in  Administration  197 

rather  the  assembly  and  worship  in  the  departments. 
We  can  only  suggest  some  principles  for  the  guid- 
ance of  those  who  would  build  wisely  for  modern 
Sunday-school  work. 

Beauty^  utility,  stability.  Mr.  Marion  Lawrance 
suggests  these  three  words  as  expressive  of  funda- 
mental necessities  in  Sunday-school  architecture. 
The  building  in  which  the  church  assembles  the 
children  and  their  elders  for  the  teaching  of  the 
Bible  should  be  pleasing  and  restful  in  its  lines.  It 
is  difficult  to  overestimate  the  effects  in  character 
of  right  types  of  buildings.  And  surely  the  Sunday- 
school  house  should  have  an  eye  to  utility.  It  is  to 
serve  great  practical  ends,  and  at  best  it  is  usually 
inadequate  to  meet  the  demands  made  upon  it.  Nor 
can  there  be  need  to  stress  the  third  word  and  urge 
that  the  Sunday-school  building  should  be  marked 
by  stability.  The  impression  of  strength  and  per- 
manency will  go  far  to  lend  weight  and  dignity  to 
all  the  ends  for  which  the  house  stands. 

Building  principles.  What  are  the  basal  principles 
which  shall  determine  the  Sunday-school  structure  ? 
A  generation  ago  the  unhesitating  answer  would 
have  been  in  accord  with  Bishop  Vincent's  idea  of 
"  togetherness  and  separateness  "  ;  the  demand  was  for 
a  large  assembly  room  in  which  the  whole  school 
might  gather,  and  then  for  as  many  rooms  as  possible 
in  which  the  classes  might  meet.  The  cry  was 
*'  rooms,"  and  the  schools  prided  themselves  on  the 
number  of  "  rooms  "  they  had. 

The    best    modern   thought    favors    departmental 


198        The  Present-Day  Sunday  School 

quarters  and  lays  no  great  stress  on  a  large  room  for 
general  assembly.  The  ideal  arrangement  would 
include  :  A  room  for  Beginners  ;  an  assembly  room 
for  Primaries  with  three  or  more  class  rooms;  an 
assembly  room  for  Juniors  with  at  least  eight  class 
rooms ;  an  assembly  room  for  Intermediates  with 
at  least  eight  class  rooms ;  an  assembly  room  for 
Seniors  and  an  assembly  room  for  Adults  with  class 
rooms  suitable  for  all  Senior  and  Adult  classes.  This 
ideal  has  been  attained  by  churches  in  various  parts 
of  the  country,  and  will  doubtless  become  widely 
prevalent  in  the  coming  years. 

If  this  ideal  is  not  possible  for  lack  of  means  or  is 
not  justified  by  the  size  of  the  school,  the  following 
might  be  possible :  A  room  for  Beginners  ;  a  room 
for  Primaries ;  and  a  general  assembly  room  for 
Juniors,  Intermediates,  Seniors,  and  Adults,  with  as 
many  class  rooms  as  possible,  preference  in  assign- 
ment of  class  rooms  being  given  to  the  Intermediates. 
If  this  seems  impossible  of  attainment,  then  the  fol- 
lowing might  be  within  reach  :  A  room  for  Beginners 
and  Primaries  with  a  curtain  separating  the  two  de- 
partments ;  a  general  assembly  room  with  curtained 
space  for  the  Juniors  and  curtained  class  rooms  for 
classes  of  the  upper  departments. 

If  the  present  tendency  to  hold  separate  depart- 
mental worship  is  considered  correct,  the  whole 
school  will  not  need  to  assemble  save  on  special 
occasions,  as  Rally  Day,  et  cetera.  Perhaps  such 
assemblies  will  number  a  half  dozen  in  the  course  of 
the  year.     For  such  occasional  assemblies  it  is  obvi- 


Studies  in  Administration  199 

ously  unnecessary  that  a  special  auditorium  be  pro- 
vided. Clearly  the  proper  course  in  such  case  will  be 
to  use  the  large  room  fitted  for  the  preaching  service. 

With  these  guiding  principles  in  mind,  it  will  not 
be  difficult  by  the  principle  of  adaptation  to  deter- 
mine in  any  given  instance  what  is  desirable  and 
practicable.  Special  attention  is  given  to  the  ques- 
tion of  departmental  and  class  rooms  in  the  chapters 
devoted  to  the  several  departments.  Mr.  Marion 
Lawrance,  than  whom  no  man  discusses  the  subject 
of  Sunday-school  housing  more  sanely  and  more  help- 
fully, makes  earnest  plea  for  worthy  Sunday-school 
architecture.' 

"  The  Sunday-school  room  should  be  completely 
above  ground  to  avoid  dampness,  defective  light  and 
ventilation,  awkward  stairways  and  other  disadvan- 
tages. It  should  be,  if  possible,  as  high  of  ceiHng,  as 
well  equipped  and  attractive  as  the  church  room 
itself.  Is  there  any  good  reason  why  the  children  of 
God's  house  should  have  any  less  favor  than  the  chil- 
dren in  our  own  homes  ?  Give  the  Sunday  school 
an  opportunity  to  exert  its  full  power  and  prove  its 
real  value  by  surrounding  it  with  conditions  that  lend 
themselves  to  its  success." 

Practical  Suggestions. 

The  building  committee  should  work  out  carefully 
and  in  detail  the  various  ends  which  the  proposed 
building  must  be  expected  to  serve.  If  the  building 
is  not  to  be  exclusively  a  Sunday-school  house,  but  is 
to  serve  general  church  purposes,  the  preaching  serv- 

*  Marion  Lawrance,  "  Housing  the  Sunday  School,"  page  13. 


20O        The  Present-Day  Sunday  School 

ice,  the  teaching  and  expressional  services,  social  and 
other  services  must  be  taken  into  account. 

With  these  general  ideas  carefully  worked  out  and 
thought  through,  the  committee  will  wish  to  confer 
at  length  with  the  architect  who  has  been  chosen,  to 
see  how  far  the  congregation  will  be  able  to  provide 
for  the  ends  which  have  seemed  desirable.  Confer- 
ences and  compromises  must  bring  the  plans  within 
reach  of  the  congregation.  It  ought  to  be  said  here 
that  great  care  must  be  exercised  in  the  selection  of 
the  architect.  He  should  be  acquainted  with  modern 
church  ideals,  especially  with  modern  Sunday-school 
methods  and  needs.  If  such  an  architect  cannot  be 
found  at  home,  the  committee  should  feel  justified  in 
going  as  far  from  home  as  may  be  necessary  in  order 
to  secure  just  the  type  of  man  required  in  order  to 
get  the  best  results. 

It  may  be  helpful  to  call  in  for  counsel  some 
Sunday-school  specialist.  If  it  seems  practicable, 
the  plans  might  be  submitted  well  in  advance  to  a 
number  of  specially  trained  Sunday-school  workers. 
Patient  deUberation  in  these  early  stages,  when  the 
temptation  to  haste  is  often  great,  will  be  well  worth 
while.  It  is  a  grave  responsibility  to  erect  a  Sunday- 
school  house  or  a  church  building.  Many  churches 
are  hopelessly  handicapped  by  impossible  buildings 
erected  in  haste  by  unheeding  building  committees. 

H.  F.  Evans  says  a  timely  word  concerning  the 
grounds  surrounding  the  church  building.^ 

1  H.  F.  Evans,  "The  Sunday-School  Building  and  Its  Equipment," 
page  J  6. 


Studies  in  Administration  20 1 

"  Attention  should  be  called  also  to  the  necessity 
of  surrounding  our  churches  with  artistic  and  well- 
kept  grounds.  Many  otherwise  beautiful  buildings 
give  a  poor  impression  because  of  the  wrong  treat- 
ment of  the  grounds.  The  buildings  are  oftentimes 
placed  too  near  the  street,  or  face  the  street  in  the 
wrong  direction.  The  vertical  surface  of  the  side  of 
the  building  should  be  blended  with  the  horizontal 
surface  of  the  ground  by  judicious  planting  of  shrub- 
bery or  vines.  The  landscape  gardener  often  can 
render  great  service  to  the  committee  just  complet- 
ing a  new  church  and  Sunday-school  building.  Too 
much  attention  cannot  be  given  to  the  impression  made 
upon  boys  and  girls  by  the  buildings  and  grounds  with 
which  is  associated  their  religious  education." 

Remodelling  Old  Buildings. 

It  is  often  possible  with  comparatively  small  ex- 
penditure to  make  vast  improvements  in  buildings 
now  in  use.  Partition  walls  can  be  built,  additional 
rooms  can  be  added,  curtains  can  be  provided.  A 
careful  study  of  the  general  principles  herein  set  forth 
and  of  the  requirements  of  the  modern  Sunday  school 
will  generally  be  a  sufficient  guide  for  thoughtful  and 
resourceful  committees.  Helpful  leaflet  literature  can 
usually  be  secured  from  the  Sunday-School  Boards 
or  other  Sunday-school  agencies. 

References  : 

Lawrance,  "  Housing  the  Sunday  School."     ^2.00. 
Evans,  **  The  Sunday-School  Building  and  Its  Equipment.** 
75  cents. 

Beauchamp,  "  The  Graded  Sunday  School."     50  cents. 


202        The  Present-Day  Sunday  School 

Strickland,  **  Churches  :  Building  Plans  and  Interior  Equip- 
ment." (An  admirable  treatment,  free  on  application  to 
H.  L.  Strickland,  Birmingham,  Ala.) 

Rev.  W.  L.  Brock,  Louisville,  Kentucky,  has  issued  and 
offers  free  a  pamphlet  on  **  How  to  Plan  a  Sunday-School 
House."  Drawings  substantially  as  presented  below  with 
some  others  by  Mr.  Smith  appear  in  this  pamphlet  and  are 
used  by  courtesy  of  Mr.  Brock. 


The  drawings  on  the  following  pages  are  largely 
self-explanatory. 

Figure  i  is  a  suggestion  for  a  simple  and  inex- 
pensive addition  to  a  one-room  church  house. 

Figure  2  illustrates  what  may  be  accomplished  in 
the  enlargement  of  a  one-room  house  by  a  slightly 
increased  outlay. 

Figure  3  shows  an  economical  and  yet  very  con- 
venient type  of  building  suitable  for  a  comparatively 
small  church  and  school  in  the  country  or  city.  It 
also  illustrates  further  what  may  be  done  in  the  way 
of  remodelling  a  one-room  house. 

Figures  4  and  5  illustrate  the  type  of  building  de- 
manded by  modern  church  and  Sunday-school  life. 
Special  rooms  are  provided  for  each  of  the  six  de- 
partments of  the  school,  while  ample  provision  is 
made  for  all  classes.  Kitchen,  banquet  hall,  gym- 
nasium, and  various  other  rooms  are  provided  in  the 
basement,  plans  for  which  are  not  shown  herein. 
These  plans  will  repay  careful  examination. 

Mr.  Frank  L.  Smith,  Architect,  Lexington,  Ken- 
tucky, very  kindly  furnishes  these  drawings.  The 
plans  for  the  complete  modern  Sunday-school  church 
house  are  based  upon  plans  for  buildings  which  have 


Studies  in  Administration 


203 


been  erected  under  Mr.  Smith's  direction,  but  which 
are  here  by  his  courtesy  amphfied  and  rearranged  in 
accordance  with  suggestions  made  by  the  author. 


Fig.  I.     Three-room  annex  to  rear  of  one-room 
church  house. 


rrrrm', 

uuuuju: 
rmnm; 

|pRIMAPX7»| 

uuuouu; 
rrrrm  I 

uuuuuu 

PRIMMIY   DCPT 


ggJuniORuo 

00   DCPTOQ 


COR.   p.»DO  R. 


COlffnMBtlTlbO 

on  DLPi  00 


f^^ 


•^       tstij&±-w^yg^ 


PU  LP»T 


PRESCnr  MAIM  AUDITORIUM 

ADULT  BlOUt  CLASSES- 


JTinntt  1 1 


-a_!l 


Fig.  2.     A  larger  annex  to  rear,  and  projecting  beyond 
the  side  walls  of  the  main  house. 


204 


The  Present-Day  Sunday  School 


n-OOR  fLAM 


3    rrtAMK    L.  SMITH 


Fig.  3.     Floor  plan  of  complete  Sunday-school-church  house 
for  school  numbering  150  to  250. 


Studies  in  Administration 


205 


r    bLjliliJ 


noTNrK.a  Room 


neST  ri-OOR  Flam 


T»er» 


Fig.  4.     Church  building  providing  for  modera 
Graded  and  Departmental  Sunday  School. 


2o6        The  Present-Day  Sunday  School 


i<  TKKr  aviA-  ■    cu  \»»  no  ntt 


^cotio  rioof?  Plan  , 


•  •  • 

Fig.  5.     Second  floor  plan.     First  floor  plan 
shown  on  preceding  page. 


XX 

MISSIONS  IN  THE  SUNDAY  SCHOOL 

f    ■    ^HE  aim  of  the  Sunday  school  is  to  produce 
efficient  Christian  character.     There  can  be 


1 


no  Christian  character  without  the  mis- 
sionary impulse  and  spirit.  There  can  be  no  efficient 
Christian  character  without  a  right  attitude  towards 
the  task  of  giving  Christ's  gospel  to  a  lost  world. 
The  teaching  of  missions  is  therefore  not  simply  a 
needed  and  desirable  element  in  the  religious  educa- 
tion offered  by  the  Sunday  school.  Such  teaching 
is  essential  and  indispensable.  Without  this  element 
in  the  educative  process  we  cannot  have  the  product 
which  is  our  real  goal.  Charles  Gallaudet  Trumbull 
well  says,  "  The  implanting  of  the  missionary  spirit 
so  as  to  give  it  control  of  the  life  of  every  pupil  may 
fairly  be  said  to  be  the  chief  and  sole  purpose  of  the 
Sunday  school." 

While  the  mission  study  movement  is  of  com- 
paratively recent  origin,  a  rich  and  varied  literature 
has  been  produced,  covering  also  general  methods 
of  teaching  in  the  Sunday  school.  The  Sunday- 
School  Times  has  issued  "  The  Times  Handbooks  for 
Missionary  Workers."  The  first  of  this  series  is 
*'  Missionary  Methods  for  Sunday-School  Workers  " 
by  George  H.  Trull.     This  little  volume  is  replete 

207 


2o8       The  Present-Day  Sunday  School 

with  practical  information  and  gives  a  large  number 
of  tested  plans  for  developing  the  mission  spirit  in 
the  Sunday  school.  Assuming  that  missions  will  be 
given  suitable  emphasis  in  the  lessons  used  in  the 
various  grades  of  the  Sunday  school,  and  that 
teachers  will  thus  be  led  to  incorporate  missionary 
instruction  into  the  body  of  their  teaching,  we  will 
content  ourselves  here  with  the  suggestion  of  plans 
and  methods  which  have  been  successfully  used  in 
developing  missionary  interest. 

I.     The  Missionary  Library. 

The  old-time  ungraded  Sunday-school  library 
which  has  no  definite  aim  and  no  special  goal  has 
perhaps  served  its  day.  Public  hbraries  and  school 
libraries  may  largely  meet  the  needs  of  our  youth  as 
regards  general  reading.  The  introduction  of  a  mis- 
sionary library,  or  the  development  of  a  missionary 
section  in  the  library  already  established,  might 
arouse  interest  and  bear  fruit.  Such  missionary 
library  ought  to  fall  into  two  distinct  parts. 

(i)  The  workers'  missionary  library.  This  library 
should  contain  books  on  methods,  such  as 

"  Missionary  Methods  for  Sunday-School  Work- 
ers," Trull. 

"  Missionary  Manual,"  Wells. 

"  Missions  in  the  Sunday  School,"  Hixson. 

•♦  Holding  the  Ropes,"  Brain. 

"  Fifty  Missionary  Programs,"  Brain. 

This  workers'  library  should  contain  missionary 
reference  books,  especially  such  as  would  not  likely 


Studies  in  Administration  209 

be  found  in  the  private  collections  of  the  workers. 
These  will  be  needed  by  workers  in  the  various  de- 
partments of  the  church  Hfe  in  the  preparation  of 
papers  and  addresses.  Any  of  the  denominational 
Missionary  Boards  will  gladly  suggest  a  suitable  list 
of  books  for  this  purpose. 

(2)  The  pupils'  graded  missionary  library.  In 
**  Missionary  Methods  for  the  Sunday  School "  Mr. 
Trull  gives  graded  lists  of  books  which  will  be  sug- 
gestive, and  the  Missionary  Boards  will  be  pleased 
to  lend  help.  Mr.  Trull  suggests  books  "  for  Readers 
8  to  12,"  and  "for  Readers  12  to  16,"  and  "for 
Readers  16  to  20,"  as  well  as  books  for  various  other 
groups. 

More  interesting  or  more  suitable  reading  for  our 
youths  than  missionary  biographies  cannot  be  any- 
where found.  •'  When  we  remember,"  says  Mr, 
Trull,  "  that  such  missionaries  as  Judson,  Livingstone, 
Scudder,  Martyn,  and  Marston  were  all  led  to  the 
mission  field  through  the  reading  of  missionary 
literature,  we  can  see  the  possibilities  of  good  mis- 
sionary books." 

II.     The  Missionary  Tract  Rack. 

As  supplementary  to  the  collection  of  books,  mis- 
sionary leaflet  literature  may  be  used  to  advantage. 
Racks  with  receptacles  suitable  for  holding  the  leaf- 
lets may  be  placed  in  a  conspicuous  place  in  the 
Sunday-school  room  with  a  neatly  printed  invitation 
for  their  free  use.  Leaflet  literature  for  this  purpose 
may  be  secured  free  of  charge  on  application  to  the 


210       The  Present-Day  Sunday  School 

Mission  Boards.  It  will  be  necessary  to  make  fre- 
quent additions  of  new  and  attractive  leaflets  if  interest 
is  to  be  sustained.  The  methods  of  getting  these  leaf- 
lets read  will  be  similar  to  the  methods  needed  in 
connection  with  the  library  : — occasional  announce- 
ments, reference  to  special  leaflets  and  other  similar 
means  will  be  required. 

III.     The  Missionary  Room. 

Many  Sunday  schools  have  found  it  helpful  to  set 
apart  a  "  missionary  room,"  dedicating  it  especially 
to  missions.  This  room  will  contain  the  missionary 
library,  missionary  leaflets,  curios,  idols,  charts,  maps, 
stereoscope,  the  multiplied  devices  for  making  mis- 
sions real  and  impressing  young  minds  with  mis- 
sionary ideas. 

Classes,  especially  from  the  Primary,  Junior,  and 
Intermediate  Departments,  may  by  turns  be  instructed 
in  this  missionary  room.  The  initial  expense  of 
opening  this  room  need  not  be  great  and  additions 
can  be  made  as  means  become  available. 

The  following  mottoes  have  been  suggested  as  wall 
charts  in  the  Missionary  Room  and  for  the  whole 
school : 

"  The  field  is  the  world." — Matthew  ij  :  38. 

"  A  need,  a  need  known,  and  the  ability  to  meet 
that  need,  constitutes  a  call." — John  F.  Gaucher. 

**  God  had  an  only  Son,  and  He  was  a  missionary 
and  a  physician." — David  Livingstone, 

'*  Jesus  shall  reign — but  when  ?  " — Robert  E.  Speer. 

**  The  world  is  my  parish." — Johji  Wesley. 


Studies  in  Administration  211 

"  Everything  vital  in  the  missionary  enterprise 
hinges  on  prayer." — John  R.  Mott. 

"  No  interest  in  missions  betrays  either  woful 
ignorance  or  willful  disobedience." — Maltbie  D. 
Babcock. 

"  Indifference  to  missions  is  the  worst  kind  of 
treason." — Henry  Van  Dyke. 

*•  Prayer  is  worth  more  to  the  missionaries  than 
^o\<\r —Melville  B.  Cox. 

"  Anywhere — provided  it  be  forward." — David 
Livingstone. 

IV.     Special  Missionary  Programs. 

Workers  imbued  with  the  missionary  spirit  will 
find  frequent  opportunity  in  the  regular  programs, 
whether  for  the  whole  school  or  for  the  departments, 
to  introduce  missionary  instruction.  Missionary 
hymns  with  appropriate  introductory  comments, 
occasional  bits  of  missionary  news  followed  by  spe- 
cial prayer,  will  find  their  way  naturally  into  any 
Sunday-school  program.  But  occasions  will  arise, 
or  may  be  arranged,  when  the  entire  program  may 
be  given  to  missions.  Missionary  hymns,  mission- 
ary readings  and  addresses,  letters  from  missionaries, 
interesting  missionary  items  and  missionary  prayers 
may  constitute  a  helpful  program  once  a  month  or 
once  a  quarter. 

Mr.  George  H.  Trull  has  rendered  signal  service 
through  his  little  book,  "  Five  Missionary  Minutes," 
in  which  he  proposes  that  in  each  weekly  program 
five  minutes  be  given  to  missions.  He  goes  further 
and  makes  his  proposal  practical  by  suggesting  a  va- 


212        The  Present-Day  Sunday  School 

riety  of  helpful  material  and  plans  for  use  in  these 
five  missionary  minutes.  ^ 

V.     Missionary  Giving. 

We  cannot  do  our  mission  work  by  proxy.  Yet 
children,  and  older  people  as  well,  will  always  find 
the  giving  of  money  a  means  of  lending  practical 
help  towards  carrying  the  Gospel  to  the  whole 
world.  The  principle  which  demands  for  every  im- 
pression a  suitable  corresponding  expression,  calls 
for  practical  giving  to  missions  along  with  in- 
struction in  missions.  The  question  of  the  educa- 
tional value  of  giving,  and  of  directing  the  giving, 
so  that  the  best  educational  results  may  be  obtained 
is  receiving  much  attention  at  the  hands  of  thought- 
ful Sunday-school  workers.  Our  Mission  Boards 
and  all  money-gathering  agencies  are  more  and 
more  recognizing  that  giving  in  the  Sunday  school 
is  to  be  so  directed  as  to  get  the  largest  educational 
results. 

There  are  those  who  feel  that  the  church  should 
assume  the  entire  support  of  the  Sunday  school,  and 
thus  leave  the  school  free  to  give  to  general  church 
support,  and  to  all  benevolences  in  a  way  to  secure 
the  widest  interest  and  the  best  training  in  the  varied 
undertakings  of  the  church  and  the  denomination. 

Apart  from  the  educational  results  which  might  be 
expected  from  systematic  giving  in  the  Sunday 
school,  the  actual  results  in  offerings  for  our  needy 
fields  would  be  considerable.  Mr.  Trull  points  out 
that   with   fifteen   miUion    enrolled    in   the    Sunday 


Studies  in  Administration  213 

schools  of  North  America,  a  two-cent  postage 
stamp  a  week  would  mean  an  annual  income  of  ^^15,- 
600,000  for  missions ;  a  car-fare  each  would  mean 
^39,000,000  annually  for  missions.  "  In  Missionary- 
Methods  for  Sunday-School  Workers  "  many  attract- 
ive methods  and  devices  are  suggested  for  training  in 
giving  to  missions. 

VI.  Messages  from  Missionaries. 

A  useful  means  always  at  hand  for  arousing  inter- 
est in  missions  is  the  message  from  the  hving  mis- 
sionary. This  message  may  come  in  the  form  of  a 
letter,  bringing  bright  bits  of  news  fresh  from  the  mis- 
sion field.  Our  missionaries  count  it  a  part  of  their 
work  to  write  such  letters.  Better  still,  it  may  be 
possible  to  secure  a  visit  from  some  missionary. 
His  presence  in  the  school  and  his  message  may 
make  a  deep  missionary  impression.  There  are  su- 
perintendents who  never  miss  an  opportunity  to 
have  a  home  or  foreign  missionary  in  their  school. 
Even  when  it  is  not  convenient  to  have  a  letter  or  a 
visit  from  a  missionary,  it  is  always  possible  to  list 
the  name  of  some  beloved  missionary  in  a  promi- 
nent way  before  the  school,  and  after  a  word  about 
his  work  to  have  an  earnest  prayer  for  him  and  for 
his  field  such  as  will  impress  the  boys  and  girls. 

VII.  Missionary  *'  Decision  Day." 

Mr.  Trumbull,  editor  of  The  Sunday- School 
Tijnes,  declares  that  the  day  is  coming  when  the 
Sunday  school  which  has  not  sent  some  of  its  mem- 
bers to  a  home  or  foreign  mission  field,  while  at  the 


214        ^^^  Present-Day  Sunday  School 

same  time  numbering  still  others  in  its  membership 
as  volunteers  pledged  to  go,  will  be  ashamed  and 
self-condemned.  Sunday-school  workers  will  do 
well  to  ponder  this  statement.  When  there  is  deep 
missionary  interest  and  a  proper  missionary  atmos- 
phere, the  hearts  of  growing  youths  will  be  led 
towards  mission  work.  The  claims  and  the  call  of 
God  for  missionary  recruits  should  be  earnestly  pre- 
sented. Whether  there  shall  be  a  special  day 
when  such  recruits  shall  be  called  upon  to  announce 
submission  to  the  will  of  God  and  readiness  to  obey 
His  will  regarding  the  mission  fields,  or  whether 
such  calls  shall  be  continuously  and  informally 
pressed  is  not  a  question  of  importance.  The  first 
and  supreme  need  in  all  efforts  at  world  evangeliza- 
tion is  not  money,  but  men.  The  mission  recruits 
for  to-morrow  must  come  from  the  Sunday  school 
of  to-day. 

References  : 

Trull,  "  Missionary  Methods  for  Sunday-School  Workers." 
50  cents.     *'  Five  Missionary  Minutes."      50  cents. 

Hixson,  *'  Missions  in  the  Sunday  School."      50  cents. 

Brain,  ''Holding  the  Ropes."  $1.00.  "Fuel  for  Mis- 
sionary Fires."  35  cents.  "Fifty  Missionary  Programs." 
35  cents. 

Trull  and  Stowell,  "  The  Sunday-School  Teacher  and  the 
Program  of  Jesus."      50  cents. 

Wells,  "Missionary  Manual."      35  cents. 

Beard,  "Home  Mission  Handicraft."     50  cents. 

Diffendorfer,  "  Child  Life  in  Mission  Lands."     50  cents. 

Carver,  "  Missions  in  the  Plan  of  the  Ages."     $1.25. 

Prinud  in  tA<  United  Statet  of  America  3 


BIBLE  STUDY 


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nishing an  appraisement  of  the  respective  value  and  spiritual 
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of  inspiration,  historicity,  criticism,  etc.,  is  that  the  Bible  is 
the  unassailable  revelation  of  the  mind  and  will  of  God. 

WILLIAM  EVANS,  DP. 

Epochs  in  the  Life  of  Chri^ 

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A  series  of  addresses,  given  on  Sunday  afternoon  to  large 
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E resenting  cogent  and  concrete  arguments  for  their  inviola- 
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BIBLE  STUDY 

Iff'     ii  ll''.  '3 

JOHN    W.     LIGON  Pastor  Christian  Church. 

■"~~~"~"~~^^~"~~^~~'~  Barboursvillt,  Sf* 

Paul  the  Apostle 

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A  life  of  the  Apostle  to  the  Gentiles,  which,  while  fuller 
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Jesus 

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The  Good  News 

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classes,  and  as  a  gift  book  to  those  we  would  like  to  become 
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B.  H.  CARROLL,  P.P. 

An  Interpretation  of  the  English  Bihle 

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TALKS  TO  CHILDREN 


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' Church.  Norfolk,  Vm. 

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ANNUAL  S.  S.  LESSON  HELPS 

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Tarbeirs  Teachers'  Guide 

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DATE  DUE 

°fiEnii8,a.l1flll 

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DEMCO  38-297 

